VFF announces great news for Vietnamese goalkeepers

On the morning of December 24, 2025, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) partnered with the National Defense Sports Center 3 to launch the AFC/VFF ‘A’ goalkeeper coaching certification course, held from December 24 to 28, 2025, in Da Nang City.

This course immediately follows the ‘B’ level goalkeeper coaching course that concluded on December 22, 2025, also held at the National Defense Sports Center 3, demonstrating the continuity and systematic approach in goalkeeper coach training by the VFF.

The course is taught directly by Mr. Kato Yoshio, a FIFA/AFC/JFA instructor. Mr. Kato is a leading expert in the field of goalkeeper coaching, having participated in over 50 courses appointed by FIFA and AFC, and has also taught many domestic programs in Japan. He is a co-founder of the Japan Goalkeeper Project, has played and coached Japanese goalkeepers at the FIFA World Cup, and was the trainer of Vietnam’s first ‘A’ level goalkeeper coaches.

Supporting the course are two Vietnamese assistant coaches, Mr. Nguyen The Anh and Mr. Chau Tri Cuong. The program includes theoretical assessments, on-field practice, and mandatory homework assignments between sessions assigned by the instructor. The entire curriculum is taught by Mr. Kato Yoshio following the goalkeeper coaching program approved by the Japan Football Association (JFA) and currently applied to Japanese goalkeeper coaches.

This is the second AFC ‘A’ level goalkeeper coaching course held in Vietnam, again led by Mr. Kato Yoshio. After the course, Vietnamese football will have 12 additional Vietnamese goalkeeper coaches certified at the AFC ‘A’ level. Moreover, due to the course’s prestige, two foreign coaches also participated, including Coach Badir Valdir (Brazil, Hanoi Police Club) and Coach Johann Noetzel (USA, Bangkok FC – Thailand).

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Kato Yoshio expressed his happiness to return to Vietnam to teach the second ‘A’ level goalkeeper coaching course, thanking AFC, VFF, and JFA for their permission and cooperation, as well as the support from VFF, the VFF Training Department, and the National Defense Sports Center 3. He encouraged trainees to work hard and stay focused to achieve the best results in this course.

Representing the host organization, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Sinh, Director of the National Defense Sports Center 3, stated this is the third time the Center has collaborated with VFF to organize training courses, affirming that the Center will always provide the best facilities and maximum support for all training activities of the Federation, contributing to improving the quality of Vietnam’s football human resources.

On behalf of the assistant coaches, Mr. Nguyen The Anh expressed gratitude to the Japan Football Association, Vietnam Football Federation, and the National Defense Sports Center 3. He emphasized that the number of goalkeeper coaching courses in Vietnam remains limited and hopes that in the future, trainees from this course will form a core team of instructors to continue sharing and developing the domestic goalkeeper training system.

Representing the trainees, Mr. Nguyen Duc Canh – the class leader – confirmed that all 14 trainees are serious and dedicated in absorbing knowledge from the instructor, considering this an important foundation to effectively apply in coaching at clubs, thereby contributing to training high-quality goalkeepers for Vietnamese football in the future.