This week we are treated to an in-depth chat with New Zealand All White's Goalkeeper Coach, Paul Gothard, affectionately known as “Goffy”.

Paul is originally from Jimbob’s home town of Southend-on-sea in the UK where he played as a goalkeeper for Dagenham and Redbridge among other semi-pro outfits.

After migrating to New Zealand, Goffy rediscovered his love for the game with Auckland City, representing them in the 2009 Club World Cup.

After retiring from playing, he transitioned into coaching and has since built a strong reputation in goalkeeper development, working as both Auckland City and Wellington Pheonix’s goalkeeping coach.

He joined up with the NZ national team set up, coaching at multiple FIFA U-17 and U-20 World Cups, as well as the senior team’s qualifying cycles.

Currently, Paul serves as the High Performance Goalkeeper Development Lead for New Zealand Football, where he oversees the long-term development of goalkeepers across all national teams.

He also continues to work directly with the All Whites as their goalkeeping coach, and will accompany them to the FIFA World Cup 2026 cycle.

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