Hello, readers and fellow goalkeeper enthusiasts! I hope you’re all doing well. I have an important update to share about the future of Between the Sticks.
Throughout the years, Between the Sticks has been a platform that has allowed me to share my passion for goalkeeping and soccer with all of you. It has been an incredible journey, and I am grateful for all of the support and engagement from you guys, the readers.
However, after a lot of contemplation, I have decided to scale back my work on Between the Sticks. This may not be news to some of you; as some of you may have noticed, my posts have become less frequent over the past year or so. Still, I always believed I’d return to writing regularly on the website, so the official decision to scale back content was not an easy one to make. But, I believe it’s necessary for my personal growth.
First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to each one of you for being a part of this incredible journey. Your unwavering support and passion for all things goalkeeping have made this experience truly special. There were people within the journalism industry who doubted I could ever find success with this website, but with your help, we proved that there is a legitimate need for goalkeeper analysis in the greater soccer sphere.
But while my love for goalkeeping remains unwavering, I feel like now is the time for me to broaden my scope and delve into other aspects of sports journalism and news in general. I’ve pigeonholed myself in the goalkeeping sphere for long enough, and I now want to explore new opportunities that will allow me to leave a more significant mark.
On that note, my next goal is to have a greater desire to contribute to my Muslim community in a more meaningful way. As a Muslim journalist, I feel a profound desire to utilize my writing skills to better serve and uplift the broader Muslim community. I believe it is time for me to shift my focus to subjects that can have a more substantial impact on the lives of my fellow Muslims. I plan on doing that in my professional life (as a digital producer with CBC Radio) but also personal life (more details on that in the future.)
However, I want to assure you that Between the Sticks will not be shutting down entirely. Although I’m stepping back from regular weekly/monthly writes, the website will still be accessible for all our previous content. Furthermore, I will try to publish new content now and then, though most of my goalkeeper-centric work will appear on ESPN.com, with whom I’ve been a freelancer since last year. (I just recently published a piece for them about Gianluigi Buffon.)
Once again, I sincerely thank every one of you for your unwavering support and encouragement over the years. Your passion for goalkeeping and your engagement with Between the Sticks have been the driving force behind my work. I hope you’ll continue to support me as I explore different avenues in journalism.
-Mouhamad Rachini
Between the Sticks 