Sports Coaching in Ghana

Become a sports coach and inspire kids in Africa

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Group Size: Avg. 5-15

Trip code: GHSC

Duration: 2-12 weeks

Play sports all day!
Explore Ghana in your free time
Get great CV experience

Love sport as much as you love travel? We’ve got the gap year experience for you! You can make a real difference to young people in Ghana by being a sports coach on this awesome volunteer programme in and around Accra. Use your enthusiasm and skills to inspire young sportspeople in one of the safest, friendliest countries in Africa. You’ll hone your coaching expertise and improve your own performance while working with Ghana’s next generation of sporting stars. Choose from athletics, basketball, boxing, cricket, golf, hockey, netball, martial arts, rugby, swimming, tennis, and volleyball coaching and coach at grassroots level. Stay in our friendly volunteer house and spend 3 – 6 hours a day coaching with plenty of time in the evenings and weekends to explore. Use your love of sports for good and make friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.

Trip Highlights

  • Build your coaching confidence working alongside the local team to train and develop young Ghanaians in a range of sports
  • Raise your fitness levels and improve your own game with opportunities to train alongside junior national teams and established sports clubs
  • Make new mates in our vibrant volunteer house in the coastal town of Teshie
  • Get a real taste of Ghanaian life with party and cultural nights out in the local area
  • Join our optional weekend excursions and discover Ghana’s incredible wildlife, national parks, and gorgeous beaches
Gap 360 Trip Notes

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Download more trip information and detailed itinerary

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What's included
  • Accommodation in the volunteer house
  • All meals during your stay
  • Sports coaching placements
  • Airport pick-up and drop off
  • Pre departure help and advice
  • Full project induction
  • Accra city tour
  • Local area orientation
  • In-country induction pack
  • 24-hour emergency support
What's not included
  • Flights
  • Travel Insurance
  • Visas
  • Vaccinations
  • Transport to / from placement
  • Laundry service
  • Snacks, soft drinks and alcohol
  • Optional activities
Further trip information

Grassroots sport plays a huge role in Ghana’s cultural and social life, but it is often underfunded, with limited access to equipment or coaches. Getting involved with our sports coaching programme is an amazing way to give Ghanaian children access to sports they may otherwise not have the opportunity to train in. It also gives you plenty of time to improve your own coaching and playing.

In most situations, you’ll be supporting local teachers and sports coaches, but you may also have the opportunity to run your own sessions. There’s a 2-week minimum stay on the project, but our recommendation is that you spend 8 – 12 weeks in Ghana to really get the most out of your experience. You can arrive any weekend of the year to start the project on a Monday. Volunteering sessions are usually Monday to Friday but there may be occasional weekend work.

Please note: You’ll need to choose which sport you’d like to be coaching at the time of booking rather than mixing and matching when you arrive.

Available sports include the following (for more detailed information, download our trip notes):

  • Athletics: You’ll be placed in an athletics club or school in or around Accra where you’ll help run training sessions for young athletes (aged 10 - 16).  You may also be able to manage your own local athletics club, and train local coaches. (4 – 6 hours a day).
  • Basketball: Based in fun, social settings where you’ll train your players in the basics, before organising your own coaching programmes and tournaments. We may also be able to place you in some of the top training sessions for the junior national teams! (4 – 6 hours a day).
  • Boxing: You’ll be placed in gyms in the Accra region. The emphasis on this programme is on personal development rather than coaching. You’ll get a taste of Ghanaian boxing culture as well as the opportunity to improve your own fighting skills. You may also get involved with mentorship and events. (4 – 6 hours a day).
  • Cricket: Get involved at a grassroots level at local schools and clubs, teaching young players theory, running coaching clinics, and organising and umpiring matches. (3 - 5 hours a day).
  • Golf: You’ll be based at the Accra Golf Club on one of the country’s leading courses, and in a number of schools surrounding the club working with players aged 8 - 16. You’ll also have the chance to visit other local golf courses (cost not included). (3 - 5 hours a day).
  • Hockey:  Work closely with established hockey clubs in Accra on grassroots training schemes for local children. You’ll organise tournaments between the youth teams, and you may go to local schools to implement sports outreach programmes. (3 - 5 hours a day).
  • Martial Arts: Specialise in karate, taekwondo, judo, and kickboxing or do a combo. Coaching takes place before and after the school day within schools and clubs in Accra. You’ll mostly be working with children aged 9 – 16 (although at clubs students might be 5 – 25). You’ll also have the chance to organise tournaments (3 - 5 hours a day).
  • Netball: Run coaching sessions in schools, clubs, and some universities. You’ll start in junior and secondary schools with children aged 10 – 16. Coaching of university netball teams generally takes place after your schools work is finished. You’ll also have the chance to get involved with coaching female netball clubs and the national netball squad!
  • Rugby: Begin your placement working in local schools with 12 – 16 year olds. This will mostly be during PE lessons, but you may also create after school clubs for keen players. You’ll also have the opportunity to scout for promising players and work with them in smaller groups with the Accra Rugby Club (ARC) as well as playing with the ARC yourself! (3 – 5 hours a day).
  • Swimming: You’ll work with children aged 5 – 15 from townships in Accra. Most of these children will not be able to swim. Taking groups of around 10 children, you’ll build their water confidence and swimming skills. You may also deliver theory lessons (4 – 6 hours a day). Please note: The swimming volunteer programme comes with an additional fee due to the cost of delivery.
  • Tennis: Help coaches at local clubs run training sessions and organise games for young players. You’ll spend time spotting new talent at regular tennis clinics and coach training sessions for the 12 – 16-year-old players in the Junior National Squads. (3 - 5 hours a day).
  • Volleyball: Run training sessions in local schools and newly formed clubs and get involved with organising volleyball matches and tournaments. If you have enough experience, you may be able to manage your own team! (3 - 5 hours a day).

The volunteer house & transport

The volunteer house is based in the coastal town of Teshie, close to Accra. Accommodation is basic but comfortable with single sex dorm style rooms, cold showers (although with Ghanaian temperatures you won’t mind!), a communal living room, and an outside space with seating. Staff live on site, and there’s a real family feel to the house.

It’s your responsibility to arrange and pay for your own transport between the volunteer house and your placement. Schools and clubs are usually within a 15-minute drive and most volunteers use Uber to get there (£1 - £3).

Free time

With only 3 – 6 hours of volunteering a day, and most weekends free, you’ll have plenty of free time to enjoy the wealth of activities on offer in the local area. From beaches and cultural markets to bustling bars, go-karting, and salsa lessons, there’s always something to do!

Evening social activities are regularly arranged by our local team, from African dancing or drumming to bar crawls in Accra, cooking classes, and local sports games, and there are a number of incredible weekend group trips on offer (extra cost), including visits to Cape Coast, Mole National Park, and the Volta region.

Please note: The swimming programme is subject to an additional fee due to the costs associated with programme delivery. There is a separate programme for football coaching in Ghana.  

Please note during the month of August the schools are on holiday so therefore normal lessons do not go ahead, however we do offer a recess programme which we run throughout August, which gives the volunteers an opportunity to teach.

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Booking options

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Please note that during August schools are on holiday so therefore normal lessons do not go ahead, and volunteers will instead help at a holiday programme. Over Christmas, teaching does not take place, but volunteers can help out in other roles.

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Online booking isn't currently available but if you'd like to enquire please use the form below. Alternatively if you'd like to discuss alternate trips or if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to contact us.
Call us on: 01892 527392
Email us at: [email protected]
Flights from £336

Cheapest flights between London and Accra for the next 6 months.

*Prices updated every 72 hours

Cheapest: £336 May, 2024
Most expensive: £720 March, 2024
Arrival information

Fly into Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra on your agreed placement start date (you can arrive any Saturday of the year to start the project on a Monday). You’ll be asked for your yellow fever vaccination card by immigration, so make sure you have this in your hand luggage.

You’ll be able to connect to Wi-Fi as soon as you arrive in the airport so you can communicate your whereabouts with the local team. Drivers aren’t allowed in the airport so once you’ve retrieved your bags, you’ll need to exit the airport to find our team member. We’ll send you a photo of them a day or two before you travel on Whatsapp so you’ll be able to spot them easily. There is likely to be a large group of people waiting to collect passengers outside the airport so make sure you only leave with the team member you recognise from the photo. They should also be holding a sign with your name and flight number on it.

The accommodation is about half an hour’s drive from the airport. When you arrive at the volunteer house, the team will do a thorough orientation session covering house rules, cultural differences, safety, and placement details, as well as taking you into the local area to get SIM cards, cash if required, and to show you around.

You should book your departure flight for the end date of your project unless you’re planning to continue your travels in Ghana. Your departure date will always be a Saturday and we will transfer you back to the airport in time for your flight.

Accommodation & meals

Accommodation

You’ll be staying in a shared volunteer house, where you’ll get to meet and mix with other volunteers (up to 40 people at any time). Based in a great location in Teshie, a small coastal town in the Greater Accra region, the house may be different to what you’re used to at home. It’s basic but comfortable with easy access to shops, bars, restaurants, and a beautiful beach.

Rooms are single sex dorm style with 4, 6, and 8 share rooms (private rooms may be available at an extra cost on request). All rooms have fans, but air-conditioning is also available at an extra cost. Rooms have mosquito nets on the windows so there’s no need to bring your own. There are lockable wardrobes in the dorms, and a safety box available onsite for your valuables. Showers are cold water only, but with the kind of temperatures you’ll experience in Ghana, we guarantee you won’t mind! The house is spotless with a cleaning service provided daily and there are traditional hand wash facilities which you can either use yourself, or for a charge our staff will be happy to do your laundry for you.

Staff live on site as well as some local people who are involved in the programme, and there’s a real family feel to the house. There’s a large communal living room which is a great social space, and an outside area with seating where you can soak up the year-round sunshine! It’s the ideal environment to easily make new friends and there are plenty of opportunities for group outings and planned trips too.

The house does not have Wi-Fi, but local SIM cards with data packages can be bought very cheaply and there are internet cafes locally.

Airport transfers are included but you are responsible for your own transport to and from your placement. The main centre for this programme is a 20–40-minute taxi ride from the volunteer accommodation (taxis are cheap and plentiful in Ghana). There is a taxi rank outside the house, but most volunteers use Uber.

Meals

Our amazing live-in chef prepares three meals a day for our volunteers but there is also access to a kitchen where you can make something for yourself whenever you fancy it.

Provided meals are a mix of traditional Ghanaian and western food (menus are posted in the common room). A typical breakfast consists of fruit, bread, and hot drinks. Lunch is a mixture of sandwiches, wraps, pasta, and Ghanaian dishes. Dinners include everything from yam chips with chicken to jollof rice, and chicken curry. You’ll also have the chance to try some traditional local dishes like fufu (fermented cassava), red red, and plantain and groundnut soup. Water is treated and supplied at the accommodation, but you’ll have to buy bottled water when you’re out.

Meals are all served at the volunteer house with fixed mealtimes (breakfast 6.30 – 8.30am / lunch 12.50 – 1.50pm / dinner 5 – 6.30pm).

Our chef is very happy to cater for dietary requirements from vegan to halal – just let us know before you travel.

Minimum age & eligibility

You’ll need to be 18 or older to join this programme. We don’t require any specific qualifications or experience, but you will need to have played / trained in or coached your chosen sport before and have a genuine enthusiasm for the game. You’ll need to be in good health and have a reasonable level of fitness.

Visas

All volunteers need a visa (temporary tourist visa) to enter Ghana. You’ll have to arrange this yourself before departure. The standard application costs £60 and takes 10 – 15 working days from the date the application has arrived at the High Commission. Faster express services are also available at an additional cost. There are a lot of stages to the visa application process but we’re here to support you at every step of the way, including providing you with supporting documents.

Your Ghana visa will become valid once it is entered into your passport. Therefore, you should not apply for your visa too early as it may expire before you enter the country. It is recommended that you apply for your visa approximately 6 weeks prior to departure. Once in Ghana, you can then easily extend it during your stay and the local team will assist you in this.

You’ll need the following when applying for a visa:

  • Valid certificate of inoculation against yellow fever
  • Passport valid for at least six months from your date of departure from Ghana and with at least 3 blank pages
  • 2 colour passport photographs (digital copy for online application)
  • Names and addresses of references and accommodation in Ghana (provided after booking confirmation)
  • Invitation letter from the programme (provided after booking confirmation)
  • Valid Ghana identification of Host (provided after booking confirmation)
  • Copy of your flight details

Health

You’ll need to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever before travel to Ghana and present a certificate to confirm this on arrival. Speak to your GP about vaccinations and up-to-date health information before you travel.

DBS checks

On this particular programme, as you’ll be working with children, you’ll need to have a clean criminal record and to undergo an enhanced DBS (previously known as CRB, or Criminal Record Bureau check) at an additional cost.

Once we receive your booking payment, you’ll be sent an online application link for the DBS check. After you’ve completed the application, the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) will need verification of your identity. To do this you’ll need to take 3 original documents to your nearest post office and use their DBS and ID verification service (there is a small cost for this which is payable directly to the Post Office). Once the Post Office verification is done it usually takes up to 2 weeks for your DBS to be processed, and your DBS will be sent to you directly in the post.

Please note: Visa rules are subject to change. You should check with the relevant embassies before travelling. Enhanced DBS (criminal record) checks can take 6-8 weeks to come back, so please ensure your start date allows enough time for your DBS check to be completed.

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