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COACH AND PLAY ATHLETICS PROJECTS

Athletics is growing in popularity in New Zealand! On this project you'll be able to work at a athletics club who have a variety of events to offer, coaching the Juniors in the afternoons and evenings, as well as training and possibly competing for the club.

This project provides you with a diverse experience in that your activities will take place in two locations and will also give you the opportunity to coach other sports as well:

1. You'll spend your afternoons and evenings coaching and/or training at an Athletics Club in Auckland.
    

2. During the mornings and early afternoons, for about 4-5 hours every day, you'll bring very welcome sports coaching skills in the School Sports project. This project takes place in a school in one of the suburbs of Auckland and here you'll coach athletics plus a variety of other sports to children from the Maori community and other countries.

You'll work with a variety of ages at the club and during the weekend you will have an opportunity to compete yourself and test your abilities against the Kiwis!

The club we work with has a very lively social scene and you will be welcomed with open arms.

On this page:

• Your Coaching

• Dates

• Requirements

• Accommodation

• Travel

• Prices

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

1. YOUR PROJECT AT THE CLUB:
This element of your programme will take place in the late afternoons and evenings. You'll work at a athletics club located in the suburbs of Auckland and a short bus ride away from the city centre where your accommodation is located.

The club has excellent facilities, including a weights gym, athletics track and top class cross country running park. At the club you will have the opportunity to coach a variety of different ages in a variety of different events. You'll also have the opportunity to train and possibly compete for the club, if you get selected.

The club have a large variety of athletics events available for volunteers to coach and compete in as follows:

• All field events,
• All track events,
• Cross country/middle distance

During the summer months (October - March) the club holds its track and field training. The cross country and middle distance training takes place all year round. The children you will be coaching vary from 7 - 18 year olds.

If you would also like to compete yourself on this project, you can do this as a representative of the athletics club or as a representative from your own club.

THE ATHLETICS SEASON AND COACHING TIMES:

• Track & Field: October - March
• Cross Country, road running and long distance: All year round

Coaching and training times are as follows

• Track & Field: 5:30 - 7:00 Wednesday

• Cross country, road running and long distance: 5:00 - 6:30 - 7:00 Monday - Friday

Athletics meetings take place from October - December and February - March and cross country events run throughout the winter period. You can coach athletics all year around, regardless of the school holidays.

If you are a long distance/cross country coach you will be expected to coach for 2 days a week, where as if you are a track/field coach you will coach for one day a week. You will have the opportunity to coach more than this, should you wish.

Please Note:  As a volunteer with Travellers

you will receive free club membership but if you wish to compete you will have to pay around NZ$5 - NZ$7 per meeting.

2. YOUR SPORTS PROJECT AT THE SCHOOL
The School Sports Project will take place during the day. For this element of your programme, you will be working at a school located in Auckland. You will be working at a school located in Auckland. The school has children from a variety of backgrounds and countries such as Maori children and children from Sudan and Somalia who are refugees, as well as children from other lower economic countries such as Samoa and Tonga. The school has good facilities that will enable you to coach a variety of different sports. 

There are a wide number of sports available to coach on this project and you will be involved in a wide range of sporting activities, giving you great diversity. The sports are generally coached by season, but if you wanted to coach a sport that was not in season, or if you wanted to introduce a new sport to the children, the school would welcome it as long as it was of benefit to the children. Each school offers different sports so if there was a particular sport that you were interested in coaching please let us know and we will make arrangements for this.

The sports vary with each term, as follows:

Term 1: Swimming, Tennis, Cricket, Athletics
Term 2: Rugby Union & League, Football, Hockey, Netball
Term 3: Rugby League, Football, Netball
Term 4: Athletics, Cricket, Cross Country & Football.

The school dates for 2008 are:

• Term 1: 4th Feb - 18th April

• Term 2: 5th May - 4th July

• Term 3: 21st July - 26th Sept

• Term 4: 13th Oct - 15th Dec

The school dates for 200 are:

• Term 1: 4th Feb - 18th April

• Term 2: 5th May - 4th July

• Term 3: 21st July - 26th Sept

• Term 4: 13th Oct - 15th Dec

The lessons you will be coaching in will last for 45 minutes and the school day runs from around 8:30 - 3:00 pm.

As a volunteer you will be assisting the sports teacher to coach the children. You'll spend about 3 to 5 hours a day helping the children at the school.

FREE COACHING MANUALS AND FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO A COACHING WEBSITE
As a volunteer sports coach with Travellers, you have access to a large number of coaching manuals for each sport - these manuals have been produced in-house by our Sports Manager. These manuals are very useful and will help you to plan coaching sessions for your students.

As well as coaching manuals you also have a year’s free subscription to a Coaching website: www.grassrootscoaching.com. 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.

REQUIREMENTS POLICE CHECKS:

As part of the law in New Zealand, it is compulsory for all volunteers who work with children to undergo a police check. These checks are done to ensure the safety of children in New Zealand.

The checks are a simple process and we will provide you with all the details of what identity you need to take with you. On your arrival in Auckland, our New Zealand manager will complete the checks with you and take you through the process. As soon as you have registered, you'll be allowed to start working with children. We will ensure that you have all the relevant information before you come to New Zealand.

You'll be accommodated in a centrally located lodge that is friendly and relaxing, making it ideal for long-term stays. You may have your own room or you may share a room with other volunteers. There is a communal kitchen and storage area for cooking meals and plenty of space to relax.

Entertainment at your accommodation includes cheap internet access, TV and free pool table. You are literally a stroll from the Sky Tower, harbor and waterfront. Accommodation is very central and close to the main train station and shopping district. Buses are also only a few minutes away to take you to parts of Auckland and New Zealand or to the many other ‘things to do’!

The city centre boasts great shopping, restaurants and pubs or head over to the viaduct for more pubs, nightclubs and multicultural cuisine. You'll get to work via bus, which is close to your accommodation.

Maori settlement in Auckland was at least 800 years ago where by different tribes built there fortifications on the various volcanoes in Auckland. When the British arrived in 1840 they claimed Auckland as the capital city of New Zealand until Wellington became the capital 25 years later.The city is modern and vibrant - a fun and friendly with beautiful surrounding islands and harbour.

Some of its more famous attractions include the sky tower, Rangitoto island, the harbor, the Hauraki gulf islands and the many extinct volcanoes that are in Auckland which provide great views of the city.

For meals in local restaurants, a trip to Auckland's inner city centre is well worth the effort - it bustles with activity and offers a range of choices of restaurants.  

We can also arrange your flight dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating country!

You will fly into Auckland where you'll be met by our local organiser. From the airport you'll be taken to your accommodation. Several days later, once you have settled in and recovered from the flight, you will be introduced to the staff on your project.

To read about Support & Backup we provide, please click here.

VISAS: We will liaise with you about specific requirements, if any, and make the Visa process very easy.   

To see the Prices of this project and all our other projects in New Zealand, please click here

• Food & accommodation while on your project,
• 2 T-shirts, if required for your project
• All support and backup during your programme
• Meeting you at the nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.

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

TO APPLY FOR A PROJECT, PLEASE CLICK HERE