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

Sports Coaching for Children & Teenagers

location
2 - 24 weeks  ·  Age 17 - 50+
Verified

Highlights

  • Deliver organised sports sessions alongside Moroccan facilitators - football, basketball, volleyball, handball, rugby, athletics and general recreational games.
  • Introduce a sport of your own. Volunteers are actively encouraged to bring new games, drills and team-building activities the centres have not tried before.
  • Work with children and teenagers in community centres, schools and youth programmes across Rabat, where organised sport is often the only structured activity on offer.

Highlights

  • Deliver organised sports sessions alongside Moroccan facilitators - football, basketball, volleyball, handball, rugby, athletics and general recreational games.
  • Introduce a sport of your own. Volunteers are actively encouraged to bring new games, drills and team-building activities the centres have not tried before.
  • Work with children and teenagers in community centres, schools and youth programmes across Rabat, where organised sport is often the only structured activity on offer.
  • Use sport as the way in: it builds discipline and social skills, gives young people somewhere to put their energy, and reaches kids a classroom often does not.
  • Live with a Moroccan host family with three meals a day, and keep weekends free for Fes, Chefchaouen, Casablanca and the Atlantic coast.
    • You don't have to pay anything yet

    Especially good for

    Age 17+
    Singles
    Couples
    Groups
    50+

    About the program

    Run football, basketball, volleyball and athletics sessions with Moroccan children and teenagers at community centres and schools, living with a host family.

    Sport as a development tool, not just a game

    Across Morocco, sport is increasingly recognised as one of the more effective ways of engaging young people. Regular physical activity gives them somewhere positive to put their energy, builds discipline and social skills, and in underserved communities ...

    About the program

    Sport as a development tool, not just a game

    Across Morocco, sport is increasingly recognised as one of the more effective ways of engaging young people. Regular physical activity gives them somewhere positive to put their energy, builds discipline and social skills, and in underserved communities measurably reduces the drift towards antisocial behaviour. It also reaches children who do not respond well to a classroom.

    That is the thinking behind this programme, and it is worth understanding before you arrive: you are not there to find the next great footballer. You are there because a well-run session twice a week gives a child structure, a team, and an adult who turns up.

    What you will actually run

    Volunteers are placed in community centres, schools and youth programmes around Rabat, delivering organised sessions in collaboration with local facilitators. The sports on offer include:

    • Football – by far the most popular
    • Basketball, volleyball and handball
    • Rugby
    • Athletics
    • General recreational and team games

    Bring something new

    This is the part volunteers most often underuse. The centres actively want new sports, exercises and team-building activities introduced – anything that keeps sessions varied and holds the group's attention. If you play something that is not on the list above, or you know good warm-up games and drills, that is genuinely valuable. Bring equipment if you can fit it in your bag; it stays behind and gets used.

    Who this suits

    Volunteers who are energetic, enthusiastic and comfortable holding the attention of a large group of children. You do not need coaching qualifications, though if you have them, say so on your application. What matters far more is that you can motivate a group and keep a session moving.

    Living with a Moroccan family

    Accommodation is with a host family, with three meals a day included – which most volunteers end up describing as the best part of the whole placement.

    Typical day

    Morning

    Breakfast with your host family, then out to your placement. Sessions are usually timetabled around the school day, so mornings may be preparation, planning with the local facilitators, or working with younger groups.

    Sessions

    You will run or co-run organised sports sessions with groups of ...

    Typical day

    Morning

    Breakfast with your host family, then out to your placement. Sessions are usually timetabled around the school day, so mornings may be preparation, planning with the local facilitators, or working with younger groups.

    Sessions

    You will run or co-run organised sports sessions with groups of children and teenagers. In practice that means warm-ups, drills, small-sided games and a lot of energy management – keeping thirty children engaged is a skill, and you will get better at it fast.

    The local facilitators know the young people and the setting; work with them rather than around them, especially in your first week.

    Afternoon

    After-school hours are the busiest period for youth sport, so afternoon sessions are common. Between sessions there is equipment to sort, sessions to plan, and often just time spent with the kids.

    Evenings

    Home to your host family for dinner. Rabat's medina, the Kasbah walls and the cafes along the river are all easy evening options.

    Weekends

    Free. Casablanca is an hour by train, and Fes, Chefchaouen, Marrakech and Essaouira are all weekend trips.

    Free-time activities

    You work weekdays, so evenings and every weekend are yours - and Rabat is one of the better-placed bases in Morocco for using them.

    Rabat itself

    The Kasbah of the Udayas, a blue-and-white walled quarter above the river mouth, is the obvious first afternoon, and the cafe on the walls looking out over ...

    Free-time activities

    You work weekdays, so evenings and every weekend are yours - and Rabat is one of the better-placed bases in Morocco for using them.

    Rabat itself

    The Kasbah of the Udayas, a blue-and-white walled quarter above the river mouth, is the obvious first afternoon, and the cafe on the walls looking out over the Atlantic is where everyone ends up. The Chellah is a Roman city that later became a medieval necropolis, now full of storks. The Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the medina for shopping, round out the city. Rabat is a UNESCO World Heritage site and considerably calmer than Marrakech or Fes.

    There is a decent local football scene if you want to watch rather than run a session for once.

    Weekend trips

    Casablanca is an hour by train, with the Hassan II Mosque - one of the few in Morocco open to non-Muslims - worth the trip alone. Fes has the oldest and most overwhelming medina in the country. Chefchaouen, the blue town in the Rif mountains, is the photograph everyone comes back with. Marrakech is further but very doable on the train, and Essaouira on the Atlantic is the calmer coastal alternative - and a serious windsurfing spot if that is your thing.

    Further afield

    The Sahara - Merzouga or Zagora - needs a long weekend and an overnight, but a night in the dunes is the trip most volunteers say they would not have missed. The Atlas Mountains and the Toubkal trekking routes are reachable from Marrakech.

    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 17 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 17 years old on the program start date.

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Required Documents

    Criminal background check

    Nationality Restrictions

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

    Other Skills

    No coaching qualification is required, though if you have one - or you play a sport to a decent level - say so on your application. What matters more is energy and the confidence to hold the attention of a large group of children. If you know a sport the centres do not currently run, that is genuinely useful. Bring kit and any spare equipment; it stays behind and gets used.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

    What's Included

    What's Included

    On-site Services

    Included

    • Accommodation with a Moroccan host family for your whole stay
    • Three meals a day
    • Orientation on arrival
    • Your placement at the community centre, school or youth programme
    • 24-hour assistance and support from the in-country team
    • Comprehensive pre-departure information
    • Certificate of participation, on request

    Not included

    • Airfare and airport taxes
    • Airport pickup – unlike most of our destinations, transfers are not included on the Morocco programmes, so budget for getting from the airport to your host family
    • Visa and visa extension fees
    • Travel and medical insurance – mandatory, and available through us at extra cost
    • Local transport and personal spending
    • Sports equipment – bring what you can, it is always needed

    The price shown already includes your application fee – there is nothing further to pay us on arrival. Programme fees can be paid in interest-free instalments, with the balance due 45 days before departure.

    Accommodation

    You live with a Moroccan host family in Rabat, which is the single biggest difference between this placement and one where you share a volunteer house with other foreigners. You eat with the family, you are drawn into their routine, and your Arabic or French improves whether you intend it to or not.

    Rooms are simple and clean. Families hosting our volunteers have done so for years and are used to guests who arrive with no Arabic and no idea how to eat a tagine properly.

    Some volunteers find the first few days an adjustment – Moroccan family life is more communal than many people are used to, and privacy works differently. Almost everyone says by week two it is their favourite part of the programme.

    The local team is in Rabat and available throughout your stay if anything needs sorting out.

    Food & Beverages

    Three meals a day are included, eaten with your host family. Moroccan home cooking is genuinely one of the best reasons to come: tagines, couscous on Fridays, harira soup, fresh bread with every meal, olives, and mint tea at all hours – and after a full afternoon of running sessions you will be glad of it.

    Lunch is the main meal of the day and the family will usually eat together. Try to be there for it rather than working through, since it is where a lot of the conversation happens.

    Vegetarians are straightforward to accommodate; Moroccan cooking is full of vegetable and pulse dishes. Note any dietary requirements on your application form so the family can be briefed in advance. Tap water is generally safe in Rabat but most people drink bottled – carry plenty if you are outdoors coaching in summer.

    Ramadan: if your stay falls during Ramadan, meal timings shift completely and the household eats before dawn and after sunset.

    Internet Access

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

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Airport Pickup at Sale Airport

    An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Sale Airport (RBA) in Rabat. We assist you to find cheap flights to Morocco. 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 Morocco provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

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

    Details on arrival

    Start dates: weekly, year-round.

    Airport: Rabat-Salé (RBA) is closest. Many volunteers fly into Casablanca Mohammed V (CMN) instead, which has far more international routes and is about an hour from Rabat by train – the train runs from the airport terminal itself.

    Please note: airport pickup is not included on the Morocco programmes. The team will send you clear directions to your host family before you travel, and can advise on transfers, but budget for getting from the airport yourself. This differs from most of our other destinations.

    Visa: most nationalities enter Morocco visa-free as tourists for up to 90 days. Visa and visa extension fees are not included if your nationality does require one.

    What to bring: sports kit and trainers you do not mind ruining, and any equipment you can spare – balls, bibs, cones, whistles. It stays with the centre and gets used long after you leave.

    What to expect: Morocco is a Muslim country and Rabat is relatively relaxed, but dressing modestly off the pitch makes daily life considerably easier, particularly for women.

    Ramadan: if your dates fall during Ramadan, the rhythm of the day changes significantly, and physical activity is understandably reduced during daylight hours. Worth factoring into when you come.

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

    Program Fees

    $395 per week 2 - 24 weeks Age 17 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES

    Duration

    2 - 24 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

    Africa > Northern Africa > Morocco > Rabat

    Meet your project coordinator

    Sahil
    29
    reviews
    4.54
    Fantastic
    2007
    Founded

    Verified

      Below average response rate
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    Volunteer Abroad  >  Education  >  Sports in Morocco
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    Travel dates

    1. - 1. Jan 1

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