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.