South Africa: Volunteer Football Coaching Work Experience Placements

South Africa: Football placements

With the 2010 football World Cup a huge success, football has never been bigger in South Africa. 

South Africa offers two separate football programmes. The first option involves training kids and coaching football in the disadvantaged communities of Parkwood, Grassy Park, and Retreat in Cape Town. This project will focus on football training with children aged between 8 and 15 years old on district pitches and in their schools.

The second option is working with an organisation called Grassroot Soccer. Founded by former professional football players in 2002, Grassroot Soccer (GRS) trains African soccer stars, coaches, teachers, and peer educators in the world’s most HIV-affected countries to deliver an interactive HIV prevention and life skills curriculum to young people.

Please indicate which project you are interested in when you apply.

Volunteer on a Football Coaching Placement in South Africa

In the Cape Town communities, volunteer football coaches are always needed. There are thousands of children with a passion for football in the townships of southern Cape Town and Projects Abroad volunteers are need to train and coach these kids.

Volunteers will focus on improving football skills and promoting the importance of team work and fair play. The project will allow you to spend plenty of time on a football pitch providing encouragement for the disadvantaged children you are training. We need volunteers to channel the children’s energy into football, the sport they enjoy the most.

Volunteer on a Football for Social Development Placement in South Africa

Volunteers on this project will work directly under the supervision and direction of local Grassroot Soccer Coaches in a wide range of roles, helping to run education programmes at the Football For Hope Centre and implement the ‘Skillz’ curriculum. The Football For Hope Centre is a project of “20 Centres for 2010,” which was an Official Campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and was managed by Grassroot Soccer.

The primary role of volunteers will be to develop and run education programmes at the centre. This will involve tutoring, organising after school activities for kids, refereeing, setting up games and schedules, pitch maintenance, equipment management, generally assisting wherever is necessary and working with the Grassroot Soccer Coaches to empower, educate and support South African Youth.

Volunteers also support the Grassroot Soccer curriculum through teaching life skills and building positive relationships with targeted youth in the Football for Hope Centre in Khayelitsha.

Grassroot Soccer say:

 The 2010 World Cup was a unique chance to highlight the power of football as an educational tool and raise the world’s awareness of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Volunteers applying for this project need to have completed at least one year of university in any field but preferably in education, youth or social development, or in international relations. Anyone with football coaching qualifications or youth work experience is greatly encouraged to apply.

Projects Abroad and Grassroot Soccer also offer special school holiday programmes to make sure the kids have something to do with their time during the holidays. Outward Bound will also be assisting on the holiday programmes and volunteers with an interest in rock-climbing, hiking, and outdoor sports may have an opportunity to get involved with this programme in some capacity.