Women's Soccer Coaching artwork

Lisa Cole - Keeping the faith

Women's Soccer Coaching

English - February 08, 2023 16:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MB - ★★★★★ - 2 ratings
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In 1992, the backpass rule was brought in by soccer lawmakers IFAB - and inadvertantly changed one player’s career.

Introduced to discourage time-wasting, the rule dictates that a goalkeeper cannot handle the ball following an intentional pass from a teammate, made using the foot. 

It had a significant effect on the role of the goalkeeper and how they are coached, both technically and tactically.

More specifically, it made a direct impact on Lisa Cole. Now director of goalkeeping at United Soccer Coaches, Cole began her playing career as an outfielder.

“I’m actually a goalkeeper because of the rule change,” she told Women’s Soccer Coaching.