Saint Lucia

RUGBY COACH

Rugby was brought to St. Lucia in the early 1970s and has had many ups and downs since. At the moment Saint Lucia is working hard to put itself on the world stage, but it has just missed out every time.

As a rugby coach you work with the Saint Lucia national team and coach young players from disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The emphasis is on participation and fun. This gives children and young people the opportunity to progress in this fast growing sport in the Caribbean. .

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

The rugby project does not require you to hold certificates or to have studied sport. You work together with the Saint Lucian RFU and the Saint Lucia Referee Society. These organisations make sure you work closely with very experienced players, coaches, physiotherapists and match officials who can guide you well.

Volunteers get the chance to coach at different levels, depending on your experience and personal preference. Work with young people focuses on fun and interactive participation, developing skills through games and activities. You can lead sessions or help with specific activities, depending on your confidence. It is also a great opportunity to ‘talent spot’ future national players.

You can also work with the national rugby teams, both men’s and women’s, to develop and improve drills and their IRB ranking. You get the chance to look at aspects such as gym routines and nutritional advice. You can also plan entire training sessions or focus on specific drills and skills.

If the national team takes part in a tournament during your stay in Saint Lucia, you get the chance to go on tour. Topped off with a Caribbean party … something you shouldn’t miss!

TENNIS COACH

In the past, tennis in Saint Lucia was mainly played by wealthier residents, expats and holidaymakers. Unfortunately, local people had limited opportunities to play the game. But with the arrival of a new state of the art national tennis centre in Beausejour, there are now more opportunities for local players because our foundation is allowed to use it. Thanks to the rise of a number of talented local stars and the creation of a national tennis league, many more people now play the sport.

The National Tennis Centre has six beautiful courts. The tennis association benefits from the interest of our young people and in this way supports the local communities on the island. That is why it has also decided to include tennis programmes in the schools’ core curriculum. Through these programmes you can get involved as a tennis coach to promote the sport in Saint Lucia.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

As a tennis coach in Saint Lucia you will work closely with the Tennis Association to provide training sessions for young people across the island. You spend most of your stay working at the National Tennis Centre in Beausejour. You also visit schools to give tennis lessons to children aged 6 to 11. The main focus of these sessions is encouraging participation and introducing basic skills and techniques. Many of the schools we work with are among the poorest on the island, so coaches have to adapt to the facilities available.

Your role as a tennis coach varies from session to session because you have to adapt to the different players and facilities you work with. At most schools and community centres you can take the lead in the sessions, but local staff will always be close by to support you.

The existing coaches’ association works closely with you so they can pick up useful tips and see new coaching techniques. That way they will continue your training methods after your volunteering period has ended.

As a tennis coach you get the chance to use the state of the art facilities of the Tennis Centre in Beausejour in your free time. We can also help you play matches against local players if you want to put your skills to the test.

ULTIMATE FRISBEE

Frisbee is currently not a very well known sport in Saint Lucia, but it has great potential to become an up and coming sport. Not only is it a popular beach sport, it may well feature at the Olympic Games in the future. And perhaps Saint Lucia will take part!

Ultimate Frisbee was introduced in Saint Lucia by a former intern of our foundation, so it is still in its early days. The focus is therefore on promoting the sport. It is also important that participants understand the rules well, so the sport can be played independently and leagues can develop. The team will support you during your stay.

Although ultimate frisbee will mainly focus on nursery and after school sessions, you can also combine it with coaching rugby, football, tennis, netball and cricket. Playing Ultimate Frisbee in a safe environment is important for passing on core values to participants and helping them grow in their development as sportsmen and women.

WHAT WILL YOU DO

Your volunteering week runs from Sunday to Thursday. Daily schedules vary, but in general the days look like this: preschool session 11:00 to 12:00, then a lunch break, followed by a school session 13:00 to 15:00, finishing with an after school session 15.15 to 17.00.

FOOTBALL COACH

With the football project in Saint Lucia you help with the grassroots development of football on the island. You coach children and young people in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods and at schools. All participants come from extreme poverty, which brings extreme problems with it. The football project gives young people something to hold on to, helping them stay away from drugs, crime and the prevailing gang culture. You also work closely with popular football clubs on the island and help local players prepare for league matches.

Football is becoming more and more popular in Saint Lucia and is played by both men and women. There are a number of competitions, such as men’s divisions one & two, a women’s national league, local leagues and various youth leagues.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

As a volunteer you are part of our coaching staff in Saint Lucia. You experience what it is like to work with the island’s main sports organisations. The focus is on coaching young footballers and developing the sport. You do this by running after school football sessions for children and young adults. As a football coach you work with local coaches and other volunteers to lead training sessions. Because football is a relatively established sport in Saint Lucia, many of the children you work with will have a natural talent for the game. However, their understanding of the rules, tactics and strategy will be largely underdeveloped. It is up to you to teach this new generation of footballers the rules, give them tactical insight into the game and develop their skills.

Your volunteering is very important for the development of the sport on the island. It enables local charities to work with a much wider range of players and to help develop other youth sports on a larger scale too.

SAILING COACH

With the sailing project in Saint Lucia you help make a sport accessible that was traditionally mainly practised by tourists and wealthy expats. Despite the ideal location and conditions, sailing is hard to reach for local children because of high costs and limited resources. Through the sailing project we create equal opportunities: children from coastal communities get the chance to learn new skills, build confidence and discover valuable future opportunities in the maritime sector and tourism.

In 2022 we launched the “Boats on Wheels” project, providing equipment and expertise to teach children in remote fishing villages to sail. The programme now has four Laser Pico boats, and sailing sessions are held twice a week for a regular group of participants in the north of the island.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

As a volunteer you are part of the sailing team in Saint Lucia. You work closely with local coaches and get to know the main sports and youth organisations on the island. You guide children and young people through their first steps in sailing, passing on both practical skills and theoretical knowledge.

The programme follows a structured 9 week curriculum, with weekly learning goals and detailed lesson plans. Each session combines theory, games and exercises on land, and of course sailing on the water. A training day runs from 10:30 to 15:00, including a short lunch break.

Because the sailing project only runs two days a week (Wednesday and Saturday), you often combine this placement with other tasks within The Power of Sports programme. This can be sports coaching, but also administrative or organisational support such as:

• recruiting participants and schools,
• maintaining and improving the curriculum,
• carrying out risk assessments,
• increasing the reach of the programme,
• helping with fundraising, media and promotion.

WHAT WE ASK OF YOU

• A passion for sailing
• Basic knowledge and experience of sailing
• Enthusiasm for working with children in a safe and stimulating learning environment

SWIMMING TEACHER

Saint Lucia is an island surrounded by sandy beaches and seas with clear blue water. However, many residents cannot swim and sadly it is not unusual for children to drown. There is a great need for swimming lessons in the poorest communities on the island, where many children have not mastered the technique. By teaching disadvantaged children in Saint Lucia to swim, you teach them skills that could save lives. Becoming a swimming teacher is therefore an incredibly rewarding experience for you and for the children you teach.

In this role you give swimming lessons in pools and on beaches to children between 6 and 14 years old. There are also opportunities to coach competitive swimmers. The main focus, however, is teaching beginner techniques to children from disadvantaged communities so they are safe in pools and in the sea.

Our swimming project aims to teach as many children as possible to swim so they can swim safely in the sea (rather handy when you live on an island). We also hope it encourages children to sharpen their newly acquired skills and continue with the sport by joining the local swimming team.

WHAT WILL YOU DO

During your stay you work together with our qualified staff. They will help you build relationships with the children. The swimming instructors will always support you, but you also have the opportunity to give your own swimming lessons, for example by introducing one to one coaching. Whether you are training within the club for the first time or taking newcomers to the beach, your contribution to the children’s development lives on long after you have gone home.

Please bear in mind that swimming takes place in outdoor pools and in the sea, so it is very much affected by bad weather. If a swimming lesson is cancelled, you can join other sports in the area or use the free time to relax.