At a glance
Volunteer as a football coach in Ghana and help develop the sports skills of teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds. You will be based at a football club in Accra, which is founded and run by Projects Abroad. Here, you’ll work closely with local coaches.
Football is hugely popular in Ghana. Joining the club allows young players to learn important skills such as teamwork and discipline, and improves their physical fitness. These skills will help them in life, especially with their future jobs. By working at the club, you’ll equip them with these skills. It’s also a great way for you to refine your own skills and learn new training techniques from different coaches.
You will live and work in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, and stay with a local host family. Make the most of your time abroad by exploring the culture and local sights, and eating as much traditional food as possible!
Start Dates:
Completely flexible dates
See DatesMinimum Duration:
One Week
Requirements:
Anyone aged 16 or over can join
Is volunteer football coaching in Ghana right for me?
Are you passionate about football? Are you eager to get more practical coaching experience? Would you like to help develop the skills of young players from a disadvantaged background? Then coaching football in Ghana is the perfect opportunity for you!
This project is a fantastic chance to improve your coaching whilst also helping local children to develop their skills. You may even get the chance to play for one of the local teams in one of their friendly games at the weekend!
It would be ideal if you could spend four weeks or more on the project to get the most out of it. However, you can also join for one, two or three weeks. The project runs year-round and you can join at any time.
What will I be doing as a volunteer football coach in Ghana?
As a volunteer football coach in Ghana, you will work at Cantonments Football Club in Accra. It is fully funded and by Projects Abroad. Here are some of the tasks you can expect to do during your placement:
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 - like Kotoko and Hearts of Oak - in action. You can accompany the players to games, and discuss the match to help with their own development.
Where you will be working as a volunteer football coach in Ghana
Accra
You will be based in the city of Accra. With a population of 2.7 million people, Accra is the largest city in Ghana and also the country’s capital. You can expect crazy traffic and vibrant street culture.
One of the first things you’ll notice on arrival, is that football is hugely popular among locals. No matter where you go, you will see football flags on cars, stickers in taxis, locals in football jerseys, or kids playing in the street.
You will work at Cantonments Football Club, which is fully funded and run by Projects Abroad. It caters to the coaching needs of local boys aged eight to thirteen and senior players of all ages. Here, we provide age-specific coaching sessions and training matches. From the age of eleven, our teams are entered into Ghana Football Association approved leagues. This helps them hone their skills in a competitive environment.
What will my typical day be like as a football coach in Ghana?
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. Twice a week, you will head to the Projects Abroad Office in the morning to meet with local coaches and plan training sessions. You will make use of public transport to get there. Our staff will accompany you on your first day and show you how to get there.
These meetings will also be a useful time to analyse past games and discuss new strategies. 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. Accra is a vibrant city with loads of interesting restaurants to try out and fun activities to get involved in.
What are the aims and impacts of Football in Ghana?
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.
Unfortunately, competitive sports can be beyond reach for many Ghanaian children, due financial constraints. We help overcome those barriers by covering their participation costs. This includes equipment and jerseys. We also cover the cost of transportation to and from training.
We run our Football Project in Ghana to achieve several goals:
- Improve health and fitness
- Reduce inequality
- Develop motor skills
- Learn life skills like teamwork and discipline
We run and fund the club ourselves, so we need your help to do this. Teach football in Ghana and help local children develop important life skills through sports.
Measuring Our Impact
Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.
Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.
Food And Accommodation
You'll stay with a host family in Accra, Akuapem Hills, Cape Coast, or Dodowa. They will welcome you into their home, eager to share their customs and have you teach them about your own culture. We believe that this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture of Ghana and have a truly unique experience.
We will always try to let you live alongside at least one other Projects Abroad volunteer or intern at the same host family. Your room will be modest, but comfortable, clean, and safe.
Your programme fee includes three meals a day.
Find out more about our accommodation.
Leisure Activities And Free Time
Volunteering in Ghana is an ideal way to explore this colourful West African country. There’s a huge variety of different activities to do while you’re there, giving you plenty of exciting ways to spend your free time.
Music is a central part of Ghanaian culture. In the bigger towns, especially Accra, you will hear some great live bands and have some memorable nights out. Evenings spent at buzzing restaurants will also give you a taste of some of the delicious local cuisine.
For a look into Ghana’s history, you can tour the slave forts of Cape Coast and visit museums. Nature lovers will relish trekking through the rainforests of Kakum National Park or Mole National Park.
We run a wide range of projects in Ghana so there’s sure to be other volunteers there during your trip. This means you can explore the country solo or connect with other volunteers and travel as a group.
Safety And Staff Support
Your safety and security is our prime concern. We have many procedures and systems to ensure you have the support you need to enjoy your trip with peace of mind. Our Projects Abroad staff are available 24 hours a day to help, and will be on-hand to make sure you settle in well at your accommodation and placement. If you encounter any problems, they will be available to help at any time.
Find out more about safety and backup.
Meet the team in Ghana
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