WORK CONTENT AND DESCRIPTION
On this project, we've teamed up with the Argentina Cricket Association
to enable you to coach at various local schools and cricket clubs. You'll work as
an assistant coach alongside the head coach, with children from the age of 8 to
15.
There are no Spanish requirements and you just need to know how to play the game;
you don’t need to be an expert or a qualified coach. All you need is a big portion
of enthusiasm and an energetic personality who can convey the concepts of playing
a team game (like honesty, loyalty, friendship, etc).
The schools and clubs that play cricket in Buenos Aires are traditional (and in
most cases, bilingual) institutions, where cricket is an important part of the tradition
and culture, not only from an aspect of the sport itself, but also the values attached
to the sport, such as manners, sportsmanship, politeness, etc.
Hours of work are from Monday to Friday, for an average of 4 hours a day, with cricket
activities during school terms exclusively in the afternoon and with all-day sporting
activities in many clubs during the summer holidays, and cricket would be played
for an hour or so during the day.
Matches sometimes take place at the weekends and you'll be encouraged to attend
these, although it won't be obligatory to do so.
- Organisation and planning of each class
- Pupil motivation
- Organisation of events and competitions
- Fitness/physical training
- Coaching of rules
- Refereeing
With younger kids the emphasis is on participation and having fun, while with slightly
older kids, although technical coaching is not required by the volunteer, activities
he/she will be involved in are more likely to be participatory, like catching exercises,
bat-ball games, or hand-eye co-ordination drills.
Volunteers may also get the opportunity to play regardless of their standard. Most
clubs have three teams, with a wide range of standards between first and third teams.
Playing normally takes place There is also a women's league for female volunteers.
SEASONS AND AVAILABILITY:
Cricket is available during school term times - the holidays are given below:
• Summer Holiday: 23/12/15 – 28/02/16
• Winter Holidays: 20/07/16 – 31/07/16
The peak seasons in the clubs are from October to November and February to March
and matches also take place at this time. Coaching however is limited during the
summer holidays of January and February and may only be available for 2 hours per
day.
Some of the schools and clubs you will be working at might be located in the suburbs
of Buenos Aires but usually no further than one hour travel distance from the city
centre.
Cricket is very popular in Argentina and you'll thoroughly enjoy the time you spend
there as well as the work you'll do with the children. Your coaching schedule will
give you plenty of time to pursue other activities like doing a Spanish language
course or a cultural course, if you’d like to, or sightseeing. Buenos Aires is an
exciting city!