Racing Genk, Leuven, FC Mechelen, and now Union Tubize-Braine! The Belgian third-division club has just joined the list of those that now require their goalkeepers from the U10 to U19 categories to wear protective helmets. The club's technical director, Sandro Salamone, explains that this decision is motivated by alarming statistics: "Some studies suggest that 80% of concussions among young goalkeepers go undetected." For Koen Witters, Racing Genk's goalkeeping manager, the demands of the modern game exacerbate these risks: "We train goalkeepers to intervene on high balls and dive at the opponents' feet... helmets reduce the risk of concussions by 50% in the event of a collision." The young goalkeepers at KRC Genk, where the measure has been in effect for a year, quickly adopted the helmet inspired by Petr Cech. “They were a little hesitant about its appearance, but they changed their minds, and some even forgot they had it on their heads. Today, they feel safer and more relaxed.”
Union Tubize-Braine is the fourth Belgian club to require goalkeepers in the U10 to U19 categories to wear protective helmets / ©RUTB