When TopCatch Goalkeeping and Kick On Academy invited me to film their first joint goalkeeper camp featuring Leeds United goalkeeper Alex Cairns, it combined two of my worlds perfectly.
When I’m not behind the camera, you’ll usually find me coaching junior football, so the opportunity to capture a day dedicated entirely to goalkeepers was one I couldn’t resist.
The camp brought together young goalkeepers from across the region for a day of specialist coaching, training drills and match related exercises, all led by experienced coaches alongside Leeds United goalkeeper Alex Cairns. The brief was simple: create a video that captured the quality of the coaching, the energy of the sessions and the overall experience of being part of the camp.
Filming the Action
One of the challenges with any sports video is finding the balance between documenting what’s happening and creating something that feels exciting to watch. Goalkeeper training is particularly fast paced, with plenty of diving saves, distribution drills and reactions happening simultaneously across the pitch.
Kyle Letheren from TopCatch Goalkeeping gave me complete creative freedom, allowing me to work in my usual documentary style. Rather than directing or interrupting sessions, I focused on capturing genuine moments as they happened, moving around the training areas to film the action from a variety of perspectives.
To bring extra variety to the final edit, I combined close up action footage with wider establishing shots and aerial drone footage, helping to showcase both the intensity of the training and the scale of the event.
A Personal Connection
As a grassroots football coach whose own son is a goalkeeper (and avid Leeds United fan!), this was a project that felt particularly close to home.
Spending so much time around youth football and goalkeeper coaching meant I already had a good understanding of the position and the types of moments that would matter most to players, parents and coaches. That helped me anticipate key moments throughout the day and capture the action naturally without disrupting the sessions.
It also made the project especially enjoyable. Seeing so many young goalkeepers learning, developing confidence and having fun reminded me exactly why grassroots football is such an important part of the game.
Delivering Content for Multiple Platforms
The final film was delivered in both landscape and vertical formats, giving TopCatch Goalkeeping and Kick On Academy content suitable for websites, YouTube and social media platforms including Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels and TikTok.
Creating platform specific versions ensures clients can get maximum value from a single shoot, allowing content to be reused effectively across multiple channels.
Watch the Finished Film
The finished video showcases the quality of coaching, the energy of the sessions and the enthusiasm of the young goalkeepers who took part. You can watch the completed film below or view the TopCatch Goalkeeping & Kick On Academy project.
“The content produced was amazing. From my first contact with Simon, his attention to detail and understanding of what I was after was second to none.
For me, the best type of cameraman is the one you don’t realise is there, allowing the action to happen naturally, and Simon was exactly that. I will 100% be using Simon again and would highly recommend him to anybody. His attention to detail is incredible.”
Kyle Letheren – TopCatch Goalkeeping
