BEN Kennedy doesn't know where he would be without the early influence of goalkeeping coach Clint Gosling - certainly not a veteran of 159 A-League games.
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Now that Kennedy, 32, is thinking about life away from the A-League, the Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners gloveman hopes to help the next generation of keepers through his own academy.
"Growing up, Goose (Gosling) was the only one who coached goalkeepers," Kennedy said. "We were lucky to have him. He is a very good coach. If he wasn't around there was no one else."
Gosling, who worked with the Jets and New Zealand national team, is still coaching at NPL level.
Andrew Goldman, the Jets W-League keeping coach, also operates an academy.
"There is definitely a market," Kennedy said. "I am putting together a few things for a couple of NPL clubs and some junior clubs. The plan is eventually to conduct school holiday clinics and regular academy sessions."
Kennedy, after 11 years at the Jets, has spent the past two seasons with the Mariners. He is in talks about continuing but is not holding out for another deal.
"If I don't end up back there, that might be it," he said. "If so, I can't complain about the career I have had. I won a title [with Newcastle], played over 150 games and picked up player of the year once each at the Jets and Mariners. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the career, but we will see what happens."
As well as Gosling, Kennedy has worked in the A-League under Bobby Catlin, Jesse van Stratten, Neil Young and Matt Nash.
"They are all quite different, which is good for learning," Kennedy said. "I have my own ideas as well, but you take a bit from all of them and combined with my experience, pass it on to the young guys.
"Coaching kids will be a lot different to coaching adults. You have to make sure you get your message across in a way that kids can understand."
