Goalkeeper: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

This article is about goalkeeper, the sports position. Goalkeeper is also a proprietary CIWS weapon-system.

In many team sports, the goalkeeper (sometimes colloquially goalie or keeper) is the designated player that is charged with directly preventing the opposite team from scoring by defending the goal. Such positions exist in association football (soccer), handball, field hockey, ice hockey, water polo, and a number of other sports. In ice hockey the goalkeeper is known as a goaltender.

Usually special rules apply to the goalkeeper that do not apply to the other players. These rules are often instated to protect the goalkeeper, being an obvious target for dangerous or even violent actions. In addition, in certain sports like ice hockey, they are required to wear special equipment like heavy pads and a face mask to protect their bodies from impact from the play object (e.g. a puck).

In association football (soccer), the goalkeeper defends their team's goal and has special privileges within the game. Most notably, the goalkeeper is the only player who may handle the ball with their hands or arms during play, even though they are restricted to doing so only within their penalty area and for certain periods of time only.