Goalkeepers

In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (termed goaltender, netminder, goalie or keeper in some sports) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by intercepting shots at goal. Such positions exist in hurling, association football, Gaelic football, international rules football, handball, field hockey, ice hockey, water polo, bandy, rink bandy, lacrosse, floorball and other sports.

Usually special rules apply to the goalkeeper that do not apply to other players. These rules are often instituted to protect the goalkeeper, being an obvious target for dangerous or even violent actions. In certain sports like ice hockey and lacrosse, goalkeepers are required to wear special equipment like heavy pads and a face mask to protect their bodies from the impact of the playing object (e.g. a puck). In some sports, goalkeepers may have the same rights as other players; in association football, for example, the keeper is allowed to kick the ball just as any other player, but may also handle it in a restricted area. In other sports goalkeepers may be limited in the actions they are allowed to take or the area of the field where they may be; in the NHL, for example, goalkeepers may not play the puck in the restricted areas behind the net or take the puck across the red line. Goalkeepers are usually the tallest players on the field.

In football, each team's goalkeeper defends his/her team's goal and has special privileges within the game. The goalkeeper's main job is to stop any penetration of the ball into the goal. The goalkeeper is the only player in the side who may use his or her hands and arms to catch, throw and save the ball, but only within his/her own penalty area. Goalkeepers are required to wear a distinctive color jersey, separate from the referee's jersey color and either team's regular jersey color, so the referee can easily identify them. There are no other specific requirements, but goalkeepers are usually allowed to wear additional protective gear such as padded clothing. Most goalkeepers also wear gloves to protect their hands and enhance their grip of the ball. Like every player on the pitch, they are required to wear shin guards.

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