Volunteers
can make a contribution by coaching football, the most popular sports in Ghana.
You will work alongside local coaches to help children develop their skills,
increase their confidence, and referee matches.
As a
volunteer, you will coach footballs in dusty fields in West Africa,
Ghana. Many children in Ghana don’t receive proper coaching and they lack
basic ball skills and understanding of Football. You’ll teach them how to use
their raw talent more effectively.
You’ll
work with a number of schools, coaching football during lesson times and
coaching the school teams after school. You’ll also combine your coaching with
some normal teaching, such as English, thus giving you a wider range of
experience.
With a
little time, energy and patience your placement will be thoroughly rewarding
and enjoyable for both you and the children. You’ll no doubt learn a thing or
two as well – this country is passionate about sport with no shortage of
talent! The sense of importance that children feel from the fact that you’re
from another country and have chosen to spend your time helping them can be
overwhelming – your very presence is encouraging and motivating.
It would
be ideal if you could spend four weeks on the project to get the most out of
it. However, you can also join for two or three weeks. The project runs
year-round and you can join at any time.
As a
volunteer football coach in Ghana, you will work at either Ashanti or Central
Regions of Ghana. Here are some of the tasks you can expect to do during your
placement:
- Prepare
for training sessions with local coaches
- Teach a
youth team various footwork, passing, and ball control techniques
- Be on
the bench for a local team during weekend matches
- Accompany coaches and players to games to help with football development
Your work
will focus on the following areas:
Prepare
for training sessions with local coaches
You will
meet with local football coaches to discuss training sessions twice a week.
This will also include doing match analysis and discussing the weekly schedule.
Interacting with local coaches is an excellent opportunity to learn coaching
skills and trade secrets from professionals. It’s also a great way to get to
know more about the strengths and weaknesses of the players you will be working
with.
Teach a
youth team
As a
volunteer coaching football in Ghana, your afternoons will be dedicated to
training a young team. This will include working on:
- Development of ball control
- Accurate passing
- Keeping
possession
- Game
tactics
- Moving
into space.
Along
with the local coaches, you will also discuss and work on match strategies and
coordinate practice games.
Join in
local games
One of
the greatest things about this volunteer project is the fact that you will be
able to join in the fun!
As a
football enthusiast yourself, you are likely to be drawn into local games in
the evenings or over weekends. This will give you a great opportunity to
immerse yourself in the local style of soccer and offer better advice to your
team.
Accompany
coaches and players to professional games
You will
also get the opportunity to see one of Ghana's many top division club teams in
action. You can accompany the players to games, and discuss the match to help
with their own development.
Your
working week will be from Tuesday to Saturday, to accommodate weekend games.
You will have Sundays and Mondays off to rest and explore.
You will
start your mornings with a hearty breakfast in your host family’s home. You
will make use of public transport to get there. Our staff will accompany you
every day.
The
coaches you work with have many years of experience. They can offer you some
great insight into local football culture and practice.
As
schools close for the day, children will start arriving at the football club
between 4pm and 6pm. This is when the fun begins! You will spend the rest of
the day teaching a young team and helping them develop basic skills and
techniques.
You will
be expected to help out at games on certain evenings, but mostly on Saturdays.
You may even be asked to act as referee or join a game if a player gets
injured. Time spent with the children will provide you with an excellent
hands-on football coaching experience while you’re in Ghana.
On
Sundays and Mondays, you will have plenty of free time to explore with your
fellow volunteers and get to know your host family. When you’re not working,
we’ve organized plenty of social and cultural activities to keep you busy,
along with weekend trips. Throughout it all, OGVO staff will be by your side.
Football
is hugely popular in Ghana. There is plenty of room for development on a
national level, and especially talented players can go on to represent their
country.
