If you’re playing today, how do you prepare for your game? For me, match preparation starts the night before. Do you get to bed early and make sure you get a good night’s sleep? What time do you get up on match day? Do you eat the same breakfast, and how long before kick-off do you eat? Do you pack your goalkeeper bag the night before so your gloves, boots, kit and water are all ready? What about mentally? Do you listen to music, visualise making saves, or think about crosses, one-v-ones and distribution? Or do you prefer to stay relaxed and not overthink the game? A good match-day routine can help you feel calm, focused and in control before kick-off. So come on — let’s share our match-day preparation below. What does your routine look like from the night before right up until kick-off? Let’s educate and inspire each other. And if you’re playing today — GOOD LUCK! Go and enjoy it. 🧤⚽ Ray

Guys, GOOD LUCK this weekend ? Where and who are you playing, and what do you think the outcome will be ? Also, remember guys… Go out with ONE mission… And that is to enjoy your game and have as much FUN as possible. DO NOT LET ANY PLAYER, COACH OR ANYONE ON THE SIDELINES MAKE YOU FEEL LOW OR BAD ABOUT YOURSELF OR YOUR GOALKEEPING - NONE AND I MEAN NONE - ARE IMPORTANT ENOUGH Good luck Everyone Ray

Nearly 30 years in, people still ask why I have stayed with J4K for so long, and the answer is simple — because of young goalkeepers like Flo! I could have chased bigger money elsewhere over the years, sat in boardrooms in a suit talking numbers with people who only cared about the money and not the people behind it, but I knew I could never stomach that. What keeps me going is getting a message, an email, or a photo like the one that landed today. J4K was never just a goalkeeper glove brand to me — it’s always been part of a goalkeeper’s journey. I meet goalkeepers when they buy their first pair of gloves, or when they walk into one of our training centres, and then I get to watch them grow: Gaining confidence, improving as keepers, becoming young adults. Some go semi-pro, some turn fully professional, some earn scholarships in the States, and some just grow into confident young people who still love the position. Knowing J4K played some small part in their journey- that is where the real satisfaction is for me. Florence Blades has been part of the J4K family for years, and when I saw this photo and the email from her dad Martin today, it underlines why I still do J4K to this day! “Hi Ray, The picture is Blades going back to her primary school as she went to watch their new girls’ team and saw they didn’t have any gloves!” “She said, ‘we have to fix that! So we took four pairs over to the school and they were over the moon. All in great condition for them to start the next J4K keeper.” Just imagine if more and more youngsters — who will obviously be adults themselves one day — grew up acting as thoughtfully for others as Flo did. What a much better world we would be living in heh! Well done, Flo. Myself and the whole J4K community are so proud of you

First of all, sorry I’ve been a bit quiet, guys — I’ve been away in Olhão, Portugal, catching up with my lifelong friend and J4K Ireland coach, Matt Gregg. And it really is a funny old world… While walking through the many narrow streets of Olhão, I suddenly spotted a very familiar face staring back at me from an estate agent’s board. It was Tiago Maia. Tiago was a professional goalkeeper here in Portugal, and J4K sponsored him for around 8 years before he retired a couple of years ago. So it was a brilliant surprise to randomly see his face while walking around Olhão. I reached out to him straight away and finally had the pleasure of meeting Tiago properly in person after all these years. And now, in another strange twist, Tiago is going to help me buy a property here in Portugal. So after all those years of J4K glove sponsorship, I’m hoping he remembers who looked after him and gets me a VERY good deal! 😂 Funny how life works sometimes.

New Shock Shields for myself finally They are Class!! I said to my keeper - dont mess around with your mummy now 🤣🤣 as I have the best gloves ( he has Titan) All ready for home trainings with him this winter