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Abstract

Background: Soccer goalkeepers experience distinct physical, physiological, and mechanical demands that are incompletely represented by conventional running-based monitoring metrics. Objective: This scoping review aimed to map the technologies, metrics, operational definitions, and measurement properties used to quantify training and match demands in soccer goalkeepers. Methods: The review was conducted following JBI scoping-review guidance and reported according to PRISMA-ScR. PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched through 4 October 2026 using complementary general-load and goalkeeper-specific search strategies. Two human reviewers independently screened 490 records and assessed 46 full-text reports, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. Data were extracted by one reviewer and verified against the original full texts by a second reviewer. A measurement-reporting audit comprising 320 study-field assessments was also verified by the second reviewer. Review status and findings: Forty reports were included. Generic external-load measures predominated, while evidence concerning goalkeeper-specific mechanical exposure and its measurement validity was more limited. Differences in operational thresholds, algorithms, and reporting practices restricted comparability across studies. Protocol transparency: This updated version clarifies the completed human screening, extraction, and verification procedures and documents the reassessment of an originally retrieved report. The protocol was finalized after searching and screening and should not be interpreted as a prospective registration.