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Rush goalie, also known as a fly goalie or fly keeper,^[1] is a variation of football in which the role of the goalkeeper is more flexible than normal. The goalkeeper position is taken by a player who can run out of and leave his goal to actively participate in outfield play. However when defending the player returns to his goal and takes up the role of goalkeeper once again, in Rush goalie only one player can be the goalkeeper and handle the ball. Once the danger has passed, that player (the "rush goalie") returns to normal outfield play. Rush goalie is only played in informal football matches, usually by children, and often when all of the players wish to play a more active role in the game than the position of goalkeeper would normally allow, or when the number of players per side is low.

A rush goalie system can also be used as a way of "levelling out" teams when playing with an uneven number of players - usually, the team with an extra man will be forced to nominate one player to stay in goal permanently (also known as stick keeper or simply sticks) while the other team is allowed to play rush.

Last Man Back [edit]

A different variation to Rush goalie is known as Last Man Back. In Last Man Back no player is chosen as the goalkeeper for a team, and all players participate in outfield play, usually leaving the position of goalkeeper open. However when the other team is on the attack, the closest player to the net or the Last Man Back is allowed to handle the ball, taking on the role of goalkeeper. This can create controversy as to who was actually the closest player to the net, so sometimes Nets is played.

In nets players are only allowed to handle the ball in the area provided they have shouted "nets" or "when" (or other regional variants) before touching the ball.

References [edit]

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