For more than 15 years, INGOAL has been working with football clubs across New Zealand.
The focus is not just on developing better goalkeepers. It is also about mentoring goalkeeper coaches, building environments inside clubs, and creating pathways that support keepers from junior football through to the senior game in New Zealand and beyond.
INGOAL's partnership with Auckland United FC is an example of how we work with clubs.
We first worked with the club in 2019, when it was Wellington Phoenix Soccer School, the academy arm of Onehunga Sports. Onehunga and Three Kings merged in 2020 to form Auckland United FC.
The programme, delivered by INGOAL coach Isaac Tetteh with guidance from James Bannatyne, works across the entire club — from junior development teams through to the men's and women's first teams.
At Auckland United, the programme focusses on building strong foundations for young goalkeepers — technical skills, decision making, and confidence in the position. Coaches work closely with small groups of players to help them understand the GK role and develop the habits needed to succeed.
Young keepers train in an environment where they are encouraged to ask questions, analyse their decisions and learn from mistakes. Over time this builds not only better goalkeepers, but more thoughtful footballers.
Programmes like this also introduce players to specialist goalkeeper coaching earlier in their football journey — something that is often missing in community football environments.
A key part of INGOAL's work with clubs is mentoring the people delivering the sessions.
At Auckland United, experienced goalkeeper coaches worked alongside newer coaches within the programme, sharing ideas and providing feedback on sessions. The aim is to help clubs grow their own goalkeeper coaching capability so that the work continues long into the future.
This approach creates stronger internal pathways inside clubs. Coaches gain confidence delivering specialist sessions, while players benefit from more consistent goalkeeper development across teams.
The impact of that approach hasn't gone unnoticed inside the club. Auckland United's High Performance Director Jo Dawkins and Academy Head Coach Ross Haviland commented on Isaac and INGOALs work with the Goalkeeping Department, “Isaac’s dedication, expertise, and commitment to developing our goalkeepers have played a hugely important role in the growth of the programme" — adding that "the time, energy, and care he invests in each session have helped create an environment where our goalkeepers can challenge themselves, improve their craft, and build confidence in their abilities."
"What stands out most is the consistency and professionalism he brings to the role... The success of any football programme relies on people who are prepared to invest in others, and his contribution has been invaluable."
It's that kind of recognition — from inside the club, not just from results on the pitch — that reflects the INGOAL way: quality delivered consistently, and relationships built to last well beyond the length of a single programme.
Connecting academy and first team environments
The programme links academy goalkeepers with senior teams.
Younger keepers are given opportunities to train alongside first-team goalkeepers, allowing them to see the standards required at higher levels. At the same time, senior goalkeepers benefited from specialised training focused on decision-making, analysis and match preparation.
Video review sessions and structured feedback help goalkeepers understand their performances and identify areas for improvement.
The impact of the programme is seen in player progression.
One Auckland United goalkeeper who came through the Auckland United programme is Blake Callinan, who moved into a professional environment following the 2024 season when he signed with Auckland FC.
For INGOAL, the mission is simple: Better keepers in a better way. It's all about building stronger goalkeepers, supporting goalkeeper coaches, and creating environments where the next generation of keepers can develop with confidence.
About Isaac
Growing up in Ghana, West Africa, Isaac started playing football as soon as he could walk. His passion for football and goalkeeping propelled him to a professional role in the prestigious Red Bull Ghana project from 2012 to 2014, where he was coached by James Bannatyne. This experience fostered a lasting friendship, and in 2016, Isaac made his first-ever plane trip to New Zealand to pursue a career in playing and coaching.
Isaac is known for his infectious enthusiasm and EQ. Hannah Mitchell, Auckland United's Women's Goalkeeper 2024, says: "One of his biggest gifts is his ability to understand EQ — especially on the women's side, down to the minute, of how best to give feedback, of how to deliver a coaching point in a way that will be best received, sometimes with tough love, and sometimes with open ended questions."
