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Fantastic 4.54rating (29)
  • Good Health And Well-Being

Football & Swimming Coaching for 9-14s

location
2 - 8 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
Verified

Highlights

  • Coach football and support swimming lessons for children aged 9 to 14 from rural communities around Galle who have no organised sport otherwise.
  • Turn up with enthusiasm rather than qualifications - no coaching badge is required, and you work alongside experienced local coaches throughout.
  • Run warm-ups, fitness sessions, team games and leadership activities, and join community outreach at village schools.

Highlights

  • Coach football and support swimming lessons for children aged 9 to 14 from rural communities around Galle who have no organised sport otherwise.
  • Turn up with enthusiasm rather than qualifications - no coaching badge is required, and you work alongside experienced local coaches throughout.
  • Run warm-ups, fitness sessions, team games and leadership activities, and join community outreach at village schools.
  • Live in a volunteer house across the road from Unawatuna Beach, with three meals a day, every day, and transport to the project included.
  • Start any week from one to eight, arriving on a Saturday, with Mirissa, Ahangama and Yala within weekend reach.
    • You don't have to pay anything yet

    Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Groups

    About the program

    Coach football, swimming and fitness for 9 to 14 year olds around Galle. No coaching qualification needed, and you live across from Unawatuna Beach.

    Sport is one of the few things that reliably gets children out of the house, into a team and onto a pitch with an adult paying attention to them. In the rural communities around Galle there is very little of it organised — no clubs, no coaching, few facilities. This programme puts some there.

    What ...

    About the program

    Sport is one of the few things that reliably gets children out of the house, into a team and onto a pitch with an adult paying attention to them. In the rural communities around Galle there is very little of it organised — no clubs, no coaching, few facilities. This programme puts some there.

    What you will actually be doing

    You work alongside local coaches, not instead of them, running sessions for children aged 9 to 14. Football is the backbone of it: warm-ups, drills, small-sided games, and the endless business of keeping thirty children engaged when only eleven can be on the pitch. There are also guided swimming lessons, which on an island where drowning is a real risk is more consequential than it sounds.

    Beyond the sport itself there are fitness sessions, team-building games and activities built around leadership and confidence. You will help plan games, work with smaller groups on individual skills, and spend a good deal of your time simply encouraging children who are convinced they are no good at this.

    The programme also runs outreach at village schools and the local community centre, so some weeks you travel out rather than coaching at the usual site.

    You do not need a coaching qualification

    That is worth stating plainly, because it puts people off applying. Previous coaching or teaching experience is an advantage and the coaches will use it if you have it. But what the sessions actually need is an adult who is enthusiastic, patient, adaptable and willing to include the child who is least good at football rather than the one who is best. If you played at school and enjoyed it, you have enough.

    Volunteers on this programme are aged 16 to 45.

    What the day looks like

    Sessions run around the school day, so you are typically coaching in the afternoon with the morning free, though this shifts with school terms and with which site you are at. The local team takes you to the project by private air-conditioned van or tuk tuk — transport is included, which on this programme matters, because the sites are spread out.

    Where you live

    In Unawatuna, in one of two volunteer houses a hundred metres apart. One is directly across the road from Unawatuna Beach; the other has ocean views from most rooms and a forty-foot pool. Both have en-suite bedrooms and air conditioning. Three meals a day, seven days a week, are included — not the Monday-to-Friday arrangement common on volunteer programmes.

    Neither house is a hardship posting, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise.

    Who this suits

    Anyone who has coached, played, or simply spent time getting children to run around and enjoy it. Volunteers who need every session to be technically serious tend to find this frustrating; volunteers who understand that the point is participation tend to have a very good time.

    Typical day

    Saturday — Arrival. You are met at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) and taken down to Galle on a shared transfer. Note the timing carefully: there are two shared transfers every Saturday, one morning and one afternoon/evening, and your flight needs to land inside one of those ...

    Typical day

    Saturday — Arrival. You are met at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) and taken down to Galle on a shared transfer. Note the timing carefully: there are two shared transfers every Saturday, one morning and one afternoon/evening, and your flight needs to land inside one of those windows. Arriving on another day, or outside the windows, means a private transfer at USD 100.

    Sunday — Settle in, meet the other volunteers, get your bearings around Unawatuna.

    Monday — Orientation: a welcome presentation, health and safety training, a cultural briefing, a project-specific session and a tour of the area. You will also be shown the in-house library of manuals and materials.

    Tuesday to Friday — the working pattern:

    • Morning — Breakfast at the house. Sessions usually run around the school day, so mornings are often free for planning, the beach, or a surf lesson
    • Afternoon — Coaching. The team drives you to the site by private air-conditioned van or tuk tuk
    • Evening — Dinner at the house with the other volunteers

    Exact hours move with school terms, the weather and which site you are working at. Sri Lankan afternoons in the wet season can rearrange a football session at short notice.

    Extras the house runs — a weekly yoga class on the rooftop terrace, weekly film nights on a projector, a monthly bike tour through the paddy fields and surrounding villages, and a monthly barbecue. All included.

    Weekends — Free. Unawatuna is on your doorstep; Mirissa for whale watching, Ahangama and Tangalle for surf, Galle Fort for the evening, and Yala, Sinharaja or Bundala for wildlife are all within reach.

    Free-time activities

    You are living in Unawatuna, which is a good place to be stuck with a free afternoon. The beach is across the road, the snorkelling off the point is decent, and surf lessons are cheap and everywhere.

    Galle Fort is twenty minutes away and worth several evenings: Dutch colonial ramparts, small museums, ...

    Free-time activities

    You are living in Unawatuna, which is a good place to be stuck with a free afternoon. The beach is across the road, the snorkelling off the point is decent, and surf lessons are cheap and everywhere.

    Galle Fort is twenty minutes away and worth several evenings: Dutch colonial ramparts, small museums, good food and a sunset that draws the whole town onto the walls. Further along the coast, Mirissa runs whale-watching trips between November and April, and Ahangama and Tangalle have the better surf.

    Inland, Sinharaja rainforest, Yala and Bundala national parks are all within a weekend, and the hill country train to Ella is one of the great rail journeys if you have a long weekend to give it.

    The house itself runs a weekly rooftop yoga class, weekly film nights, a monthly bike tour through the paddy fields and a monthly barbecue — all included, and all a reliable way to meet the other volunteers.

    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Required Documents

    Criminal background check, parental consent form if under 18, passport copy and travel and medical insurance

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    No coaching qualification is required. Football, swimming, athletics or general PE experience all help, as does anything involving getting children to take part - youth work, scouting, teaching, lifeguarding. A swimming qualification or lifesaving award is genuinely useful here and worth mentioning. Above all, bring patience and a willingness to include the least confident child rather than the most talented. A clean criminal background check is required.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 13:00 - 17:00

    What's Included

    What's Included

    On-site Services

    Included in the programme fee:

    • Accommodation in a volunteer house in Unawatuna, with Wi-Fi
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, including weekends
    • Shared arrival transfer from Colombo airport on Saturdays within the set time windows
    • Orientation and training on arrival, including health and safety and a cultural briefing
    • Local transport to and from the project by private air-conditioned van or tuk tuk
    • Guaranteed project placement, and an experienced bilingual operations team on the ground
    • Staff support from 6am to 8pm daily, plus 24/7 local emergency support
    • Weekly rooftop yoga class, weekly film nights, monthly bike tour through the paddy fields, monthly barbecue
    • Access to the in-house library of teaching and coaching materials
    • Comprehensive pre-departure information and a certificate of participation on request

    Not included:

    • International flights
    • Sri Lankan ETA (visa) fee
    • The return transfer from Galle to Colombo — arranged for you but paid locally
    • A private arrival transfer if you land outside the Saturday windows
    • Travel and medical insurance, which is mandatory. Buy it through us at extra cost, or bring your own and send a copy
    • Vaccinations
    • Weekend travel, surf lessons and personal spending

    The price shown already includes your application fee – there is nothing further to pay us on arrival. Payment can be split into interest-free instalments, with the balance due 45 days before you start.

    Airport Pickup at Bandaranaike International Airport

    Read this before you book your flight. The arrival transfer is included, but it comes with conditions that catch people out.

    You are picked up from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) and driven to Galle, about two and a half hours south. But the included transfer is a shared transfer, on Saturdays only, within two set time windows — one in the morning, one in the afternoon or evening.

    • Land on a Saturday inside one of those windows and the transfer is included and costs you nothing.
    • Land outside the windows, or on any other day, and you need a private transfer at USD 100.

    Booking your flight to arrive inside a Saturday window is the single easiest way to save yourself a hundred dollars.

    The return journey from Galle to Colombo is not included. The team arranges it for you and you pay for it locally in Sri Lanka at the end of your placement. Budget for it rather than being surprised by it.

    Accommodation

    You stay in Unawatuna, in one of two volunteer houses about a hundred metres apart, both looking out over Unawatuna Beach and the Indian Ocean.

    The beachside house is directly across the road from the beach. It has twelve bedrooms of varying sizes, all with en-suite bathrooms and air conditioning, and most with their own outdoor balcony. There is a dining area, a lounge, a terrace, a small garden, and an office with permanent staff on site. The property has CCTV throughout and an overnight security team.

    The larger house has thirteen en-suite bedrooms, most of them with ocean views, and a private forty-foot outdoor swimming pool surrounded by tropical planting. It has three kitchens, three common rooms (one per floor), a large dining area and a garden with seating.

    Rooms are shared, and all rooms have Wi-Fi. Which house you are placed in depends on availability.

    This is comfortable accommodation and we would rather say so plainly than dress it up as roughing it. If you are looking for a hardship posting, this is not one.

    Food & Beverages

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included every day of the week, including weekends — which is unusual on volunteer programmes and worth noticing when you compare prices.

    Meals are cooked at the volunteer house and lean Sri Lankan: rice and curry in its many forms, dhal, coconut sambol, hoppers and string hoppers, fresh tropical fruit, and a rotation of western options for anyone who needs a break from chilli. The south coast also means excellent fish.

    Tell the team about allergies, intolerances or dietary requirements before you arrive. Vegetarians are extremely well served in Sri Lanka; vegans and anyone with a serious allergy should flag it early so the kitchen can plan.

    The house also runs a monthly barbecue and weekly film nights, both included.

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site
    You don't have to pay anything yet

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) in Colombo. We assist you to find cheap flights to Sri Lanka. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Sri Lanka provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Sri Lanka you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Sri Lanka. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    Start dates — Weekly, year-round, arriving on a Saturday.

    Getting there — Fly into Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB). Galle is about two and a half hours south on the expressway.

    Transfers — read this before booking your flight

    • The arrival transfer is included, but only as a shared transfer on Saturday within set time windows. There are two each Saturday: one in the morning, one in the afternoon or evening.
    • If your flight lands outside those windows, or on any other day, a private transfer costs USD 100.
    • The return transfer from Galle to Colombo is not included. It is arranged for you and paid locally in Sri Lanka at the end of your stay. Budget for it.

    Book your flight around the Saturday windows and you save yourself USD 100 before you have even arrived.

    Visa — Sri Lanka requires an ETA (electronic travel authorisation) for most nationalities, applied for online before travel. The fee is not included in the programme cost.

    Age — 16 to 45 on this programme.

    When to come — The south coast is driest and sunniest from roughly December to April, which is also the busiest and most expensive season for travel. May to September brings the southwest monsoon: rain, usually in bursts rather than all day, fewer tourists, and cheaper everything. The programme runs year-round.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program Fees

    $410 per week 2 - 8 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES

    Duration

    2 - 8 weeks

    Deposit

    Reserve your spot with just a few clicks and a small, secure deposit. You can pay by credit card, PayPal, or other convenient methods.

    Final Payment

    You’ll agree on the final payment method with your local organization during the application process. This final payment is only due closer to the start of your trip.

    You don't have to pay anything yet
    4.5
    Top Pick
    One of the top picks on Volunteer World, according to travelers

    Location

    Asia > Southern Asia > Sri Lanka > Galle

    Meet your project coordinator

    Sahil
    29
    reviews
    4.54
    Fantastic
    2007
    Founded

    Verified

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    Travel dates

    1. - 1. Jan 1

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