Volunteer Football Coaching in Ghana

Live in West Africa and get coaching experience by helping local children improve their football skills

Destination

Ghana

Age

16+ y/o

Minimum Stay

1 week

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Homestay

What’s included

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

24/7 Support

Round-the-clock support on the ground and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Transportation

To and from the airport, plus everything in between. Daily transport to your placement and back.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

Request info

Starting at €1,780 for 1 week

Flexible 0% Interest payments
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Trip Overview

Coach aspiring footballers

Share your love of football by coaching young players at a school in Akuapem Hills and Ghana’s African Talent Football Academy (Eastern Region).

Develop your skills and teamwork

Connect with teens from a different culture who experience poverty on a daily basis. Improve their confidence, skills, teamwork, and fitness.

Enjoy Ghana through football

Live with a host family and immerse yourself in the rich culture of Ghana, including its passion for the Black Stars, the nation’s football team.

Beyond the guidebook in Ghana

Discover the natural beauty and complex history of Ghana. Visit botanical gardens, waterfalls, and forts. Experience the bustling city of Accra.

Customise your experience

Tailor your coaching experience to your interests and skills, focusing on different age groups and skill levels.

What you need to know

Overview

Are you passionate about football? Are you eager to get more practical coaching experience? Would you like to help develop the skills of young players from a disadvantaged background? Then coaching football in Ghana is the perfect opportunity for you!

This project is a fantastic chance to improve your coaching whilst also helping local children to develop their skills. You may even get the chance to play for one of the local teams in one of their friendly games at the weekend!

A Day in the Life

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 then have the rest of the day to prepare or explore this beautiful region.

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. Accra is a vibrant city with loads of interesting restaurants to try out and fun activities to get involved in.

Aims & Impact

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.

Unfortunately, competitive sports can be beyond reach for many Ghanaian children, due to financial constraints. We help overcome those barriers by covering their participation costs. This includes equipment and jerseys. We also cover the cost of transportation to and from training.

We run our Football Project in Ghana to achieve several goals:

Improve health and fitness
Reduce inequality
Develop motor skills
Learn life skills like teamwork and discipline

Teach football in Ghana and help local children develop important life skills through sports.

Activities

As a volunteer football coach in Ghana, you will work with children from the Tore Eikeland School in the Akuapem Hills. You may also work with the Abiriw Youngster Football Club, a community football club and African talent football academy in Ghana’s Eastern Region. Here are some of the tasks you can expect to do during your placement:

Our volunteers work together with local coaches and get hands-on football coaching experience in Ghana.

Prepare for training sessions with local coaches

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.

On some days, you may also have to help out with the maintenance of the football grounds and complete similar manual work.

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 – like Kotoko and Hearts of Oak – in action. You can accompany the players to games, and discuss the match to help with their own development.

Map & Location

Formerly called The Gold Coast, Ghana became an independent nation in 1957, and the first African country colonised by Europeans to achieve independence under majority rule. Still famed for gold and cocoa production, it’s a treasure trove of cultural and natural experiences.

Explore lush rainforests, cascading waterfalls, and golden beaches or get stuck in to the lively music and dance scene. With a rich mix of languages and traditions, its people are known for their warmth and hospitality.

Accra

Accra, the capital of Ghana, is a lively city on the Atlantic coast with a population of over two million. This sprawling metropolis blends modern skyscrapers with historic landmarks, artisan markets, and beautiful beaches. It has a tropical savannah climate with hot temperatures all year.

Accra is culturally rich, with traditional drumming and dance performances alongside an energetic nightlife and thriving arts scene. More than half of the population is under 24, so it’s never short of excitement!

Akuapem Hills

About 90 minutes north of the capital, Accra, lie the quiet and tropical Akuapem Hills. Known for their lush greenery, cocoa farms, and charming villages with traditional architecture, the hills are a perfect escape from city living.

You’ll never feel more welcomed than in the heart of the Ghanaian countryside and you’ll have access to all the essential amenities. Plus, Accra is well within reach for a day trip if needed!

Food & Accommodation

Immediately feel at home with a supportive and welcoming local host family. We’ve vetted each family to guarantee you get everything you need for a wonderful stay. This includes a comfortable bed, three daily meals, fresh drinking water, and daily transport to and from your placement, arranged by our team.

Your host family’s home will be clean, safe, and secure, and they will welcome you as one of their own from the moment you arrive. Absorb the local culture, enjoy their incredible home-cooked food, and build a lifelong connection during the course of your stay.

You’ll stay with other Projects Abroad participants on your travels. If you share a room, we will match you with someone of the same gender and age. Whether you go it alone or with friends, you’ll have the time of your life.

Your Arrival Made Easy

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Ghana Arrival Procedures page.