A young boy jumps over a rope during one of our Sports volunteering opportunities.

Volunteer Teaching Sports Abroad

Coach young people in disadvantaged communities and share your passion for sport

Volunteer on a Sports Project with Projects Abroad and spend time in your chosen destination helping young people have fun and challenge themselves. Sport has the capacity to change lives. Alongside promoting lifelong health and fitness, sport can offer young people a path towards confidence, self-belief and achievement.

Our staff can help you find a sports volunteering opportunity that makes the most of your sporting skills and interests. Our most popular choices include Football, Rugby, Surfing, and Basketball but there are loads of other options too. If you’re passionate about a wide range of sports, you can also coach PE lessons in a school.

You’ll be helping young people improve young people’s wellbeing, while they develop important skills like teamwork and communication. The communities we work in often struggle to prioritise sports and to supervise games. You can help us change this.

Can’t find what you’re looking for?

We’d be happy to talk about creating a custom project for you. Most of our staff have been volunteers themselves, so they’re well placed to answer your questions, big or small.

+353 1 571 5080

Request Info

to start planning your project

Is sports coaching abroad right for me?

Teaching sports abroad is ideal for volunteers who want to share their energy and enthusiasm for being active with disadvantaged communities.

You’ll work alongside local professionals and Projects Abroad staff, as well as fellow volunteers. You’ll spend your time coaching and supervising games in your chosen sport. You don’t need any formal qualifications, just the desire to give your time and passion.

These projects are ideal for volunteers who want to be hands-on and immersed in the local community.

If you’re interested in working with children, but feel a Sports Project isn’t right for you, you may be interested in our Teaching Projects. Read our full list of projects for volunteering abroad.

Volunteers and local students playing football on one of our Sports volunteering opportunities.

What will I gain from sports coaching abroad?

By teaching sport abroad as a volunteer, you’ll give back to a community that needs help while developing your own skills.

Here are just some of the benefits that our previous volunteers talk about:

Soft skills like teamwork, communication, leadership, resilience, organising, planning, and time management.
Teaching and coaching experience.
The ability to work and empathise with people of different cultures and backgrounds, helping to develop a ‘global mindset’.
Confidence from pushing past your comfort zone.

All of the above will enhance your CV, UCAS applications, and your personal development.

Why does teaching sport abroad matter?

These projects are about more than simply developing the sport itself. They are about giving the children you work with a better present, and the chance of a better future. This comes both from playing directly and also from values that are developed through sport, like teamwork, discipline and a sense of fair play.

How are Projects Abroad’s Sports Projects different?

At Projects Abroad, our first aim is to benefit the communities we work in. You can be assured that your volunteering project is ethical, well supported and part of a better future. Here’s just a few elements of our work that set it apart from other volunteering programmes:

Be fully supported by staff

On our sports volunteering opportunities, you’ll work alongside members of the local community and Projects Abroad staff. You’ll also be part of a wider network of volunteers. In each project, there is a full-time member of staff who job it is to support our volunteers. Whether you’re organising a tournament or just having a kick-around, there will be someone skilled to help make sure you deliver your sessions safely and in a way that supports the young people you are working with.

Projects that have an impact

All our projects are well researched, targeted, and sustainable. We aim to make a difference to the local community for the long term.

A young surfer and a volunteer walk along the beach during a project dedicated to teaching sport abroad.

Our Child Protection Policy

We take protecting the children and young people we work with very seriously. That’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive Child Protection Policy.

Next Steps

Choose a Project

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