Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Potomac Soccer Wire and Golme
As you hopefully read in today's wire, we've struck up a partnership with Golme. This is a first for HummerSport (that's our company name, while Potomac Soccer Wire is just one of our web site properties), but it won't be the last such deal. When we find great soccer products or services that benefit soccer participants, and those companies are willing to offer special discounts and/or incentives to our readers and clients, then we'll find a way to bring those products and servces to you.
I'll leave the details on our Golme pages, but on a personal note, I just wanted to reinforce how revolutionary I think these goals are.
As a coach, I always want at least two goals for a training session, but that's a rare thing these days with so few fields. PLUS even if your club allocates a full field to your team, more and more goals are permanently anchored for safety reasons. This all totally makes sense, and safety should always come first. But permanently anchored goals don't change the fact that a proper training session should end with two teams going to full size goals - on an appropriately sized field. Plus, in the interest of field quality (also a safety issue), many clubs do not allow training session in the "goal mouths" anyway. If you combine these two extremely valid limitations, that leaves a LOT of teams out there every night across our region running training sessions with flags or cones as goals - not very realistic is it?
Portable goals are clearly the answer, but until Golme came along, using portable goals was just a big pain. I've used a Kwikgoal quite a bit, and it's a great goal. But it stores in an 8-foot long bat that takes two people to carry, and a big SUV to transport. Some of the lighter, smaller alternatives, are just plain cheap and flimsy, often made of some form of PVC - yuk! There are even some out now that have to be pumped full of air! I'm blessed somewhat however in that my club has kick back goals stored on site at our training field. It's a fantastic luxury, that I'm sure very few teams enjoy.
But now, Golme has come along, and they're awesome! Even their full-size goal fits in a standard duffel that you could even transport on a motorcycle if you felt like it. It only weighs 24 pounds, and sets up in about 3 minutes (faster as you get used to it, and when you put it away properly when finished). There is NO hard cross-bar either - it's a thick nylon strap - so there are no worries about the thing tipping over and hurting someone. In fact, the goal won't even function without being "anchored" because it requires two tent-stake-like attachments on either side as part of the set up. Sort of a built-in safety device.
This goal could literally change the way we teach soccer. Time will tell on their durability, but the frame comes with a 3-year warranty, so they must be pretty confident their "aircraft grade aluminum" will withstand the heavy use. With these goals, teams can now literally hold practice on any large enough grass area, not just pre-defined fields only available by permit. This opens up pleny of free park space, baseball outfields, and even big back yards that just weren't a realistic option with the previous generation of "portable goals".
The result SHOULD be more realist training sessions, fewer player safety concerns, and higher quality game fields that have been spared some wear and tear. All of these only help us develop better players - which is the whole point.
Hope to see you on the pitch soon with a Golme goal, no matter where you buy yours. (but hope you get it through HummerSport).Labels: Fox Soccer Channel, Goals, Golme, HummerSport, Safety, Turf Fields
I'll leave the details on our Golme pages, but on a personal note, I just wanted to reinforce how revolutionary I think these goals are.
As a coach, I always want at least two goals for a training session, but that's a rare thing these days with so few fields. PLUS even if your club allocates a full field to your team, more and more goals are permanently anchored for safety reasons. This all totally makes sense, and safety should always come first. But permanently anchored goals don't change the fact that a proper training session should end with two teams going to full size goals - on an appropriately sized field. Plus, in the interest of field quality (also a safety issue), many clubs do not allow training session in the "goal mouths" anyway. If you combine these two extremely valid limitations, that leaves a LOT of teams out there every night across our region running training sessions with flags or cones as goals - not very realistic is it?
Portable goals are clearly the answer, but until Golme came along, using portable goals was just a big pain. I've used a Kwikgoal quite a bit, and it's a great goal. But it stores in an 8-foot long bat that takes two people to carry, and a big SUV to transport. Some of the lighter, smaller alternatives, are just plain cheap and flimsy, often made of some form of PVC - yuk! There are even some out now that have to be pumped full of air! I'm blessed somewhat however in that my club has kick back goals stored on site at our training field. It's a fantastic luxury, that I'm sure very few teams enjoy.
But now, Golme has come along, and they're awesome! Even their full-size goal fits in a standard duffel that you could even transport on a motorcycle if you felt like it. It only weighs 24 pounds, and sets up in about 3 minutes (faster as you get used to it, and when you put it away properly when finished). There is NO hard cross-bar either - it's a thick nylon strap - so there are no worries about the thing tipping over and hurting someone. In fact, the goal won't even function without being "anchored" because it requires two tent-stake-like attachments on either side as part of the set up. Sort of a built-in safety device.
This goal could literally change the way we teach soccer. Time will tell on their durability, but the frame comes with a 3-year warranty, so they must be pretty confident their "aircraft grade aluminum" will withstand the heavy use. With these goals, teams can now literally hold practice on any large enough grass area, not just pre-defined fields only available by permit. This opens up pleny of free park space, baseball outfields, and even big back yards that just weren't a realistic option with the previous generation of "portable goals".
The result SHOULD be more realist training sessions, fewer player safety concerns, and higher quality game fields that have been spared some wear and tear. All of these only help us develop better players - which is the whole point.
Hope to see you on the pitch soon with a Golme goal, no matter where you buy yours. (but hope you get it through HummerSport).
Labels: Fox Soccer Channel, Goals, Golme, HummerSport, Safety, Turf Fields
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