Overseas Volunteer Sport Coaching: Football in Brazil

There can be no better place to volunteer on a football placement than Brazil - winners of the football world cup a record five times and known by locals simply as ‘the football country’.

Many Brazilian children live for football and it is by far the favourite pastime of youngsters found playing in the streets. For some talented children football offers an escape from crippling poverty but even for the children who aren’t good enough to attend a football academy the game remains an enjoyable and healthy activity that can help to keep them away from entering gangs or getting involved in drugs.

Coach Football to Children with Projects Abroad

Our football projects in Brazil work with local youth teams. We work in conjunction with local coaches to deliver our football development programme.

The football coaching programme is based in the State of Rio de Janeiro. Volunteers coach football to a number of different age groups – aged 10 to 12’s, under 14’s and under 17’s. Our football placements in Brazil provide an opportunity for all young players to develop their basic skills and techniques with the hope that some may achieve the phenomenal success of Brazilian stars like Pele or Ronaldo.

Your Role Volunteering Abroad on a Football Project in Brazil

During your time as a football coach in Brazil you will be responsible for the development of young footballers’ basic skills and techniques. You will help co-ordinate and plan coaching sessions to develop skills such as ball control, accurate passing, keeping possession and moving into space. Furthermore you will help your supervisor, usually the team’s manager, to plan match strategies and you will take practice games.

According your motivation and skills you may even be asked to assist in team selection and if you are a good player yourself you might even be asked to be ‘on the bench’ for weekend or evening local matches.

When you get to Brazil, you will be introduced to your team and the manager. Communication is one of the key aspects of sports coaching therefore it will be important to collaborate on how to structure the coaching programme. Don’t worry if you have little or no coaching experience; we can provide a specific coaching manual for your sessions and the manager and his assistants will help you all the way, adding to your ideas. You’ll be the foreigner and your very presence will help to make each training session fun – which is vital to maintaining the interest and enthusiasm of the children.

Brazilian flag

Poor housing

Rio Salvador beach