Sports in Senegal

The Senegalese are sports-mad and very proud of their fitness and athleticism. As the heat of the day subsides, the sandy streets of St Louis are turned into make-shift football pitches, usually with large rocks as goalposts! The national reverence for football is shown in the way cars and pedestrians carefully pick their way round these games rather than disrupt the silky skills on show.

Football-loving volunteers have the opportunity to concentrate solely on football during their project, while those wanting a little more variety can choose the multi-sport option. This involves a combination of basketball, track and field and, of course, football.

The morning will generally be spent training alongside local adult teams, improving your own skills and picking up coaching tips. Then, after a break at midday, you will swap roles and find yourself coaching one of the many local youth teams around St Louis. If you have a thick skin, there is also the opportunity to referee or act as linesman at evening football matches!

Volunteers will sometimes be asked to help out with coaching various sports at schools in and around St Louis or even at local centres for street children and, if after all this you still haven't had enough sport, the impressive Hydrobase beach is often the scene of impromptu football and volleyball matches. Your team-mates will undoubtedly also be happy to give you a few tips on Senegalese wrestling and maybe challenge you to a bout or two!

Volunteers need to speak some French, although a bit of confidence is more important than fluency; you should expect that the majority of your placement will be conducted in French. The willingness to pass on some conversational English will be greatly appreciated by local people, who are always eager to pick up a few phrases and try new ones out on you.

Football match

Street football match

Training on the beach