Goalkeepers, from u7s up have always been thin on the ground . Very very few ‘want’ to play in nets. So its either the lads who arent good enough to play out or the rare nutter that actually wants to go in.
i played to a decent standard in defence but could always do a stint in nets if need be. All through my playing career teams struggled for a regular goaly and id sometimes keep it secret that i could cover if needs be as itd always end up permanent
even now at 48 i still get a call to play for my nephews team in nets as they struggle for a keeper. (Fully retired now so its always a no ;) )
so even playing reasonable standard saturday football, keepers have been a slight rarity and until being a goaly is considered sexy its always going to filter through to pro footy too