The formations utilized helped to shape these positions. The history of soccer has shown us many defending positions. Some sweeper-keepers will cover distances of over five kilometres in a match. Although it’s an exciting football tactic, this style of play can be risky, and it’s prone to backfire. The sweeper-keeper helps its team outnumber their opponents by providing an extra passing option. When the defence pushes over their half of the field, the sweeper-keeper ventures outside the box to follow. A sweeper-keeper isn’t afraid to tackle the ball far outside the penalty area. They aggressively close down open space behind the defensive line like a sweeper.

Leading to an influx of goalkeepers playing the role of sweeper-keeper. This resulted in goalkeepers needing to play the ball more with their feet.

In 1992 the IFAB changed that law, no longer allowing goalkeepers to handle the ball from a pass. Sweeper-keeperīefore 1992 goalkeepers could pick up back passes from their teammates. The average height of a Premier League goalkeeper is about six foot three. They have exceptional reflexes and rely on their height and athleticism to keep the ball out of the net. It’s rare for this type of keeper to leave the penalty area. Shot-blockerĪ shot-blocker is a conservative goalkeeper that doesn’t venture far from the goal. Backup keepers will wear other numbers, typically outside numbers one through 11, depending on the rules of the competition. Regardless of their style of play, starting goalkeepers historically wear shirt number one.

Oftentimes people will define a keeper as a shot-blocker or a sweeper-keeper. However, there are styles of play that differentiate the types of goalkeepers. There’s only one player designated as a goalkeeper in soccer which limits the way keepers are utilized. That’s why I’ll explain the historical context around the terminology related to historical shirt numbers. Despite the change, you’ll still hear football commentaries alluding to numbers when describing a player’s position on the pitch. The number the player wore designated them to a specific role on the pitch. Before that, there was a mandatory use of shirt numbers one through 11 for the starting lineup. The English Football Association started using consistent shirt numbers for each player in 1993. Why numbers are related to positions in soccer I’ll explain how this history shaped the positions we have in soccer today, and how it also influenced the shirt numbers. Over the years, certain formations and tactics have gained popularity, while others have fallen into the history books. This article examines the four soccer player types and describes the styles of play, formations, and positions within those player types. Throughout history, teams have organized around four types of players, defenders, midfielders, forwards and goalkeepers. This article uses an Anglicized historical context concerning football positioning. Depending on where in the world you live, there are different position names and ways to number a squad. With 11 players on the field at one time, there are countless ways to organize a soccer team. Whether you like to call it soccer or football, it is the most widely played sport on the planet.

Numbered positions in soccer