WEYMOUTH goalkeeping coach Robbie Yates is set to start goalkeeping sessions at Dorchester Town’s Clayson Stadium from Wednesday.

The sessions, which have Weymouth FC’s backing, will see two sessions: one aimed at the 6.30 to 7.30pm for under-12s and from 7.30-8.30pm for the over-12s.

The sessions are part of Yates’ company Between The Sticks, which he has run with business partner Neil Moss for 15 years.

Moss is the current goalkeeping coach at AFC Bournemouth and Yates used to work at the club which boasts the likes of Asmir Begovic, Artur Boruc and former Weymouth-loanee Mark Travers among their goalkeeping line-up.

Yates explained: “It has been going well for those years and I have decided to branch out. Mark Robinson, general manager at Dorchester who is a goalkeeping coach, came to one of my courses when I used to run them for the FA.

“We became friends and now Dorchester have got the plastic pitch it is an opportunity to get in some coaching for our future keepers right through, like we do at our other venues at Between The Sticks.”

Yates sees a chance to coach in an area that he says does not have many schools for goalkeeping and an opportunity to teach the right technique from a young age.

Yates has pedigree in bringing through goalkeepers, having notably coached Weymouth goalkeeper Jordan Seabright since he was 10-years old.

“There could be a little Jordan Seabright, so a 10/11-year old who is playing but not getting coached and trained so that by the time they are an adult they have a lot of bad habits.

“That is where we come in and we teach them the right techniques and the skill base.

“In the modern game, keepers use their feet seven times more than their hands now so they have got to be good with their feet so that is something that we have developed and adjusted and incorporated in their training.

“Technique is important because if it is not right it will let you down.

“If you look at the Rob Green incident for England, that was just pure technique that let him down. There was nothing else, it was the same with Karius at Liverpool in the Champions League.”

Yates also coaches on Mondays and Fridays at Canford and on Fridays at Blandford and can count Gareth Stewart, Bournemouth under-21s goalkeeping coach, among his staff.

Yates added: “I know what we do does work. It does produce goalkeepers and I just want to affect as many as I can.”

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