+44 01903 502595
Email Us
Get a brochure

COACHING FOOTBALL

If you feel more at home on a pitch than in a classroom and you want to make a difference through coaching, coaching football at this primary school in Shanghai will certainly allow you to make your mark... and have a lot of fun in the process!!  You will also have the opportunity to keep up your football skills by training with and playing for the staff football team.

You don’t need any qualifications just a love of football and an enthusiasm to share what you know! This project runs all year round, except in July and August.

Football is becoming more visible in China now, with billboards of premiership players and teams cropping up everywhere across Shanghai. China as a nation have never been very successful in terms of international results, but with a large population they certainly have the talent base... Unfortunately, they lack the coaches to nurture this talent... This is where YOU come in!

Coaching football on this project is valuable on many different levels. It teaches the children English, social interaction and increases their confidence and self awareness. Sport promotes a natural feel-good factor and a healthy high. By allowing these children to embrace sports and improve their individual performance you give them direction which will have positive roll over effects on the rest of their life!

For football fanatics everywhere, there is no better way to volunteer then sharing your passion with equally enthusiastic children in a tight knit community in China on the doorstep of vibrant and buzzing Shanghai!

On this project you will also have the opportunity to keep your skills up by playing for the staff team, as well as being the head coach of the school football team.

Why not combine your football placement with a visit to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing??!! Become a spectator at the games, see one of the world’s most dynamic cities AND feel a part of the proceedings by coaching some of the nation’s budding stars??? See http://en.beijing2008.cn/ for the games’ English language website. You can also volunteer at the games!

Return to the China Home Page and
the list of all our projects in China

SPECIALS AND EXTRAS IN CHINA:

The Chinese love their football Any triumph by the national team is considered to be a source of national pride. Around 300 million people tuned in to broadcasts of China's World Cup 2002 matches, and there were possibly even more viewers for the Asian Cup 2004 finals.

Since their acceptance by FIFA in 1980, the Chinese National Team has gone from strength to strength. They still have quite a way to go, however, which is where you can come in!

Xi Men Primary School is extremely enthusiastic about football, and have only just received their first volunteer coaches from Travellers in September 2007! They've just built an area especially for Travellers volunteers to coach on, which is made up of an 140 meter athletic track running around 2 full sized basketball courts. This is where you'll take your lessons. The school also has a large number of footballs and cones that are available for you to use.

Another school on Chong Ming Island has employed a French Football Coach to begin working in September, and so Xi Men would like Travellers Volunteers to set up a team that can compete in a new football tournament between the two schools. There is also a famous Children’s football team on the island, who the Travellers Team will play against. The school is sure that if our team can beat the famous team, we’ll also be famous!! If you'd like to help setting up tournaments between your school and any other school on the island this would be welcomed, as the kids have very little opportunity to play competitively.

You will be coaching children from 6 - 12 years old. The skill level of the children is fairly basic, as they do not have much exposure to football. Because of this, this is a placement where you can really make a difference and see your students progress in leaps and bounds.

You will be coaching from Monday - Friday for around 10 - 15 hours a week. You will be working alongside a sports teacher who will assist you and help with the translation of the lesson, although practical demonstrations will go a long way to helping your students learn the beautiful game!

The children are extremely excited about learning to play football and really enjoy it when the travellers volunteers arrive! As well as coaching during lessons you will be able to take the school football team twice a week after school.

Another exciting element of the placement is that you also have the opportunity to train socially with the staff football team and possibly play in a match with them. The standard is similar to that of a social side in England, but it's great fun and you'll be able to keep up your own football skills and fitness during your project. The staff train and play at a local school which has a good 6 a side pitch with the latest Astroturf playing facility.   

"We coached five lessons per day, each lasting 35 minutes. The kids would do a warm up for around 10 minutes and then we would coach them football for 20-25 minutes. Their age ranged from 7-12 years old, but the school football team has no age limit and a couple of the players in the team were from the younger classes" Jamie Burnett, Football Coaching Autumn 2007

During the weekend you will be able to go back into Shanghai and sample some of the city life relaxing and sightseeing with the other volunteers. You may be able to stay in the Travellers flat or stay in a cheap hostel in the city. Volunteers in the past tend to leave the school on Friday afternoon to go to Shanghai and then return to the island on Sunday afternoon ready to start coaching on Monday again.  

On this placement you will be given a timetable by the school which the has been tried and tested by past volunteers. You will however need to use your initiative as needs and schedules can change over time, and you'll be expected to help keep the timetable up to date. Being ready to think on your feet is very important on this placement.

Start your time in Shanghai with a One-week Intensive Mandarin Course. You don’t need any Mandarin to coach football as the children have a reasonable level of English, but learning a little of the language would definitely be of benefit to you while in the country. To find out more about the Mandarin Course, please click here

FREE FOOTBALL COACHING MANUAL AND FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO A COACHING WEBSITE
As a volunteer sports coach with Travellers, you have access to a football coaching manual which has been produced in-house by our Sports Manager. This manual can be very useful in helping you plan coaching sessions for your students.

As well as coaching manuals you also get a year’s free subscription to a Coaching website. With this membership (which normally comes with a price tag of £39.99), you automatically become a member of the International Coaches Association (ICA) and join a community of coaches from over 65 countries.

Start your time in Shanghai with a One-week Intensive Mandarin Course. You don’t need any Mandarin to coach football as the children have a reasonable level of English, but learning a little of the language would definitely be of benefit to you while in the country. To find out more about the Mandarin Course, please click here

Download and print additional
information on this project
 ►in .pdf format
 ►in Word format

►Additional Weekend Sports Options
 Information sheet about sports you can play or coach at the weekends while on any project in Shanghai!

Whilst on your placement you also have the opportunity to get involved in a number of social sport teams in Shanghai or do some extra coaching with children on the weekend. We have links to a number of sports teams that will allow you to play, train and possibly coach children at various clubs. The sports that you can get involved in at the weekend are:

	Aussie Rules
	Cricket
	Gaelic Football
	Rugby
	Touch Rugby
	Ultimate Frisbee

The clubs tend to be more on a social level than a serious coaching placement. However, you can have a lot of fun coaching and playing with them, and it’ll provide you with a really good way to meet the local and local expat community as well as keep up your skills.

If you would like to take advantage of any of these opportunities, please contact your project co-coordinator, ideally before you come out to Shanghai. This is because we need to send your details over to the clubs for confirmation that you can join during your project.

If you want more information on any of the sports in particular, just get in touch with us.

You will live at a volunteer flat around 5-10 minutes walk from Xi Men School, with the other volunteers on the placement with you. The flat is comfortable, with excellent facilities such as a fridge, TV and washing machine, and has beautiful views over traditional Chinese Gardens! You’ll eat your meals at the school with students and staff, however eating out is extremely cheap should you want some variety!

The Travellers Flat in Shanghai will be available for your use at the weekend - you can travel to Shanghai with the other volunteers very easily by bus and ferry, for around £4. This way, you get to experience the best of both worlds - beautiful and close knit Chong Ming during the week, and the vibrant nightlife of Shanghai at the weekend!

“It’s been absolutely amazing so far so can't thank you enough for putting me here! I would recommend it to everyone!!” - Claire Fromage on her teaching placement on Cong Ming Island

Xi Men School - The location of your project