The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has launched a five-day FIFA Elite Youth Goalkeeper Coaches Workshop, aimed at improving the standard of youth goalkeeping across the country.
The programme, taking place at Mpira Village in Chiwembe, has brought together 25 goalkeeper coaches drawn from national teams, women’s sides, academies and selected Super League youth teams. It forms part of FIFA’s wider Talent Development Scheme, which seeks to strengthen coaching capacity and raise technical standards in emerging football nations.
The workshop is being led by FIFA goalkeeping specialists Ali Saleh from Qatar and David Taini of Switzerland. The sessions combine classroom-based theory with practical on-field training, focusing on modern goalkeeping techniques, identifying young talent and designing age-appropriate training programmes.
Saleh said the initiative presents an important opportunity for both international experts and local coaches to exchange ideas and stay aligned with global developments in the sport.
“This is a great opportunity for us and for Malawian goalkeepers to understand what is happening globally. Football is evolving every day, and clubs are now looking for modern goalkeepers,” he said.
He emphasised that the workshop is not only about instruction but also collaboration, with a focus on adapting global practices to local conditions.
“We are here to share knowledge with our colleagues and understand the local context so that we can collectively improve goalkeeping in Malawi,” he said.
Local coaches have welcomed the initiative, describing it as timely as the demands of the game continue to change. Hethwin Nkumbaleza, the goalkeeper coach for the Malawi Under-17 men’s national team, said the training would have a direct impact on youth development structures.
“This is a valuable opportunity to learn new approaches as the game continues to evolve. It will help us better train young goalkeepers and improve the goalkeeping department,” he said.
At the end of the course, participants will undergo assessment and receive FIFA certification. They are then expected to apply their knowledge by developing structured youth goalkeeper training programmes within their respective clubs and academies.
The workshop is one of several technical initiatives supported by FIFA and implemented by FAM as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen football development in Malawi. By targeting youth coaching, the programme aims to build a stronger foundation for the future of the game in the country.
The participants represent a broad cross-section of Malawian football, including coaches from leading clubs, women’s teams, academies and national set-ups. This diversity is expected to enhance the exchange of ideas and ensure that the benefits of the training are widely distributed across different levels of the sport.
FAM officials hope that such initiatives will contribute to long-term improvements in performance, particularly by nurturing a new generation of goalkeepers equipped with modern skills and tactical awareness.
