Goalkeeper in 5v5: rotating or fixed?

The question at almost every game

2 players in 100 isn't many. With ten per game, on paper, that's one real keeper every five games.

The other four times, someone has to go in. Might as well decide before kickoff.

Rotating: keep it simple

Two ways work well.

• After every goal conceded. The keeper comes out, the next one goes in. Simple, but whoever keeps well stays in a long time.

• Every 10 minutes. Fairer. Over 90 minutes, the length of nearly one game in two on Poteau, everyone goes in almost twice.

Set the order with the others from the start. Otherwise, at the first goal, nobody moves.

Fixed: when it's worth it

When someone enjoys it. Or when a player would rather run less that day.

In 5v5, the keeper is often the first to start the play. A good fixed keeper changes the game a lot. Two fixed keepers of very different levels, and the score gets out of hand fast.

If your team has a fixed keeper, let them play out on the field now and then. It gets them on the ball.

What the venue says

At many venues, the box is for the keeper only, and they can't always come out of it. It depends on the place. We cover it in our article on 5v5 rules.

And with your formation

With a rotating keeper, one idea: whoever comes out of goal takes the spot at the back. In a diamond (1-2-1), that fits: they stay deepest while they catch their breath. The formations are in our article on 5v5 tactics.

Say it before

On Poteau, fewer than one game in a hundred mentions the keeper in its description. So it gets sorted out on the spot, or in the game chat.

Like playing in goal? Say so in the chat. With 2 keepers per 100 players, it's rarely bad news (we have the numbers).

The Poteau Team