The Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) is the governing body for volleyball throughout India and is responsible for the development and promotion of the game. Volleyball is played in many parts of India and there are various club teams and championships each year. The national team has also received numerous awards in the South Asian Federation Games. There is, however, still a lack of opportunities at the grassroots end of the sport, especially in the poorer schools and slum areas. This is why you, as a volunteer volleyball coach, can make a big difference to aspiring volleyball players by organising coaching sessions and volleyball matches in the local community. If you want to combine your passion for volleyball with volunteer work in India, this coaching project is definitely for you.

 

Our volleyball project in India is split between two areas. The first is in the local schools. The second is in the slum areas where organised sports are almost nonexistent. The students and staff in the schools welcome our volunteer coaches warmly and you are sure to have lots of enthusiastic participants! Working in the slum areas is a very eye-opening experience, but one that is deeply rewarding. As for your previous experience, our volleyball coaches come from a variety of backgrounds. Our focus is not on creating India’s next national volleyball player, but rather on creating more opportunities for children to play or be coached in volleyball. Therefore, while recognised coaching qualifications are beneficial, are main goal is to simply find hardworking volunteers who have had some experience playing or coaching volleyball at a reasonable level.

 

The first part of your volleyball coaching role will be to run introductory sessions in local schools. This will help you assess the ability of your volleyball players. It will also give you a chance to get to know your players in an enjoyable and relaxed manner. The second part of your coaching role in the schools will be to organise regular coaching classes and volleyball matches. The structure and competitive environment you create is extremely valuable for the children, fostering sportsmanship and a strong sense of belonging, as well as providing the natural health benefits of playing regular sport. You will soon see how much knowledge you possess. By introducing basic position holding and serving techniques, as well as running simple offensive and defensive drills, your players will improve quickly. You will also have plenty of support from our in-country team and other volunteers if you ever need some inspiration for a coaching session.

 

The other key area of the project will be to coach volleyball to children in the slum areas. Like in the schools, your role will be to organise volleyball coaching sessions and volleyball matches for many of the children who would otherwise not get to play. Again, by introducing some structure to the sport and explaining the rules clearly, your young players will show great improvement.

 

The final part of your volleyball placement will be to help improve or repair sports facilities in the local community. Not only does this provide better access to sports for Indian children, it helps to generate a real sense of pride in the community. Building or renovating local sports facilities is also a great way of leaving something tangible behind once your volleyball project finishes.

 

A volleyball gap year in India is the perfect way to combine a gap year volleyball project with gap year volunteering in India. Not only will you be able to coach volleyball in your gap year, you will meet other likeminded gap year volunteers, experience the benefits of gap year volunteering, and enjoy exciting gap year travel in India.