Goalkeeper
In many team sports that involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting opposing shots on goal. Such positions exist in bandy, rink bandy, camogie, association football, Gaelic football, international rules football, floorball, handball, hurling, field hockey, ice hockey, roller hockey, lacrosse, ringette, rinkball, water polo, and shinty, as well as in other sports.
In most sports that involve scoring in a net, rules apply to the goalkeeper that do not apply to other players. These rules are often instituted to protect the goalkeeper from being a target for dangerous or even violent actions. This is most apparent in sports such as ice hockey and lacrosse, where goalkeepers are required to wear special equipment like heavy pads and a face mask to protect their bodies from the impact of the playing object.
In some sports, goalkeepers may have the same rights as other players as well as additional rules applicable only to their position; in association football, for example, the keeper is allowed to kick the ball just as any other player but may also use their hands to handle the ball in a restricted area. In other sports, goalkeepers may be limited in the actions they are allowed to take or the area of the field or rink where they may be; in the NHL, for example, goalkeepers may not play the puck in the restricted areas behind the net or take the puck across the red line.
In some sports, like Cycle ball, Unicycle hockey and Roller soccer, there is no designated goalkeeper, but any player can perform that function on the condition that only one acts in that role at a time.
In some sports, like basketball, acting as a goalkeeper is considered against the rules, on the contrary, in related sport, netball, there are dedicated players to defend against scoring.
Examples
Football codes
Association football
In football, each team's goalkeeper defends their team's goal and has special privileges within the game. The goalkeeper's main job is to stop any penetration of the ball into the goal. The goalkeeper is the only player in the side who may use their hands and arms to catch, throw, and save the ball, but they may only do so within their own penalty area. Goalkeepers are required to wear a distinctive color jersey, separate from the referee's jersey color and either team's regular jersey color, so the referee can easily identify them. There are no other specific requirements, but goalkeepers are usually allowed to wear additional protective gear, such as padded clothing. Most goalkeepers also wear gloves to protect their hands and enhance their grip on the ball. Like every player on the pitch, they are required to wear shin guards.The goalkeeper is allowed to catch the ball and is also allowed to punch or deflect the ball away from the goal. The goalkeeper generally has a significant advantage on a ball high in the air by raising their arms and play the ball before an attacker can attempt a header. When the keeper picks up the ball, they are allowed to kick it or throw it, or to place it on the ground and play it with their feet. The official Laws of the Game stipulate that the goalkeeper must redistribute the ball within six seconds after picking it up; however, referees often use their discretion as long as the goalkeeper is not obviously attempting to waste time. Once the keeper establishes possession of the ball, opposing players are not allowed to attempt to play the ball and must give the goalkeeper room to attempt a kick. Referees usually give an advantage to an unprotected goalkeeper if a ball is in the air and both the goalkeeper and a field player of the opposing team are challenging for the ball.
The 1936 death of Sunderland A.F.C. goalkeeper Jimmy Thorpe shaped the development of the rule by which players were no longer allowed to raise their foot to a goalkeeper with control of the ball in their arms. Despite winning the league that season, Sunderland's season was marked with tragedy after the young goalkeeper died as a result of a kick in the head and chest after he had picked up the ball following a backpass in a game against Chelsea at Roker Park. He continued to take part until the match finished, but collapsed at home afterwards and died in hospital four days later from diabetes mellitus and heart failure 'accelerated by the rough usage of the opposing team'.
Though the goalkeeper is generally allowed to use their hands in the penalty area, they are not allowed to use their hands on balls that have been deliberately kicked to them by a teammate. In such situations, the goalkeeper may play the ball with their feet but cannot pick it up. The rule applies only to a ball that is kicked. A ball that is headed or otherwise not kicked may be picked up by the goalkeeper without penalty. An infringement of this rule results in an indirect kick for the opposing team. A ball that is merely deflected by a teammate may still be picked up by the goalkeeper since a deflection is not a deliberate play. The "back-pass" rule has been followed in international football and in most professional and amateur leagues since it was introduced in the early 1990s to reduce timewasting, but leagues for younger players may choose not to enforce the rule. The back pass rule is listed in Law 12 of the Laws of the Game.
As the goalkeeper is usually the team's only player who can see the entire field, they often act as the organizer of the team when it is defending, such as on a free kick or a corner kick. This means the goalkeeper needs to be loud, with a voice that can project over the defensive area of the pitch. In turn, the players on their team need to be able to listen and respond to directions given to them. Some of the greatest soccer/ football goalies include Petr Cech, Peter Schmeichel, Manuel Neuer, Oliver Kahn, Edwin van der Sar, Lev Yashin, Iker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Ricardo Zamora or Michel Preud'homme.
Gaelic football
In Gaelic football, the goalie's main task is to prevent a goal from being scored against his side by directly defending the team's goal. A goal occurs when the ball passes through the goal; the attacking team is awarded 3 points. The goalie is the only player who may handle the ball on the ground, and only inside the small rectangle.International rules football
In International rules football, a hybrid game between Australian rules football and Gaelic football, the goalkeeper's main task is to prevent a goal from being scored. A goal occurs when the ball comes off any part of an attacking player and passes through the goal; the attacking team is awarded 6 points.Gridiron football
The term "goal-tend" was used in early descriptions of American football positions to describe the defensive position farthest back from the line of scrimmage. Eventually the term became obsolete and was replaced by the term defensive fullback, then to its modern term free safety . Unlike in soccer or Gaelic football, the goal-tend/safety does not physically protect the goalposts, as they are elevated above the ground and mostly out of the reach of any player. Also, unlike other codes of football, goal-tends have no special ball-handling privileges.One situation in which a goalkeeper-like responsibility can arise is in Canadian football, where a single point is awarded for a kicked ball that is not returned out of the end zone. While standard practice is for defending teams to concede the single point, situations often arise where conceding that point could jeopardize a lead. A goal-tend can thus be employed to recover the ball and either return it out of the end zone or, generally if it is in the closing seconds of a game, punt the ball back into play or out of bounds to ensure the point is not conceded.
Handball
In handball, the goalkeeper is the only player in the team who is allowed to stay in the 6-meter zone throughout the whole competition. A goalkeeper is allowed to save the ball with all parts of their body, including two hands, trunks, two legs and so on, only within the defending 6-meter zone.Whenever the ball is left on the ground within the 6-meter zone, the goalkeeper owns the possession of the ball; while whenever the ball is in the air above the 6-meter zone, the opponent can still jump in to grasp the ball without stepping in the 6-meter zone.
A goalkeeper can participate in offense by long-passing the ball to a teammate in the opposing half court for a fast-break score. The common handball goalkeeper clothing includes a long-sleeve jersey, long trousers, and any body protection .
Czech handball
In Czech handball the goalkeeper is the only player allowed kick the ball during play, and only if defending a shot inside the goal area. Attackers may enter the goal area but not shoot from inside it. The goalkeeper may not enter the other team's defensive third. Goalkeepers take penalty throws when the ball goes out of play behind their goal area with no deflection from the goal. The referee must allow a change of goalkeepers before penalty and free throws. Goalkeepers must wear a different colour jersey from the other players.Hockey
Bandy
In bandy, the goalkeeper defends their team's goal and has specific privileges within the game, which is regulated in section 6 of the Bandy Playing Rules set up by the Federation of International Bandy The goalkeeper's main job is to stop any penetration of the ball into the goal. The goalkeeper is allowed to hold the ball for six seconds before they have to release it. They may drop it to a defender or chuck it directly into attack.If the ball passes the goal line, it is followed by different actions: if a defender last touches the ball, the reaction is an own goal if the ball goes between the goalposts; if it passes outside the goalposts, the reaction is a corner stroke. If last touched by an attacker's stick and passes between the posts, the reaction is a goal or a disallowed goal. If the ball passes from an attacker over the goal line outside the goalposts, the goalkeeper may retrieve a new ball from a cage hanging on the goal's either side and put the new ball in play with no signal from the referees.
The goalkeeper is the only player who may use their hands to play the ball. According to Rule 6.1 the goalkeeper is required to wear a jersey with a different color from either team's jersey color to avoid confusion for the referee. Goalkeepers wear padded gloves to aid in catching the ball, large shinpads, a padded sweater, and a helmet with a face mask.
The goalkeeper is the only player in the team who can pass the ball to a teammate by aid of their skates. The team might have a reserve goalkeeper, and the two may switch at any time during the game, without the need to notify the referee. There is no time-out in bandy, but an exception is sometimes made when the goalkeeper is hurt, especially if they don't have a designated reserve keeper.
As the goalkeeper is usually the team's only player who can see the entire field, they often act as an organizer of the team when it is defending, especially for free strokes against them.