Coach & Compete within Athletics - New Zealand

Product Details

Coach and compete within athletics in Auckland New Zealand

You'll coach junior athletes at a top athletics club in Auckland where you will also have the opportunity to train and compete yourself.

Athletics is a fairly popular sport in New Zealand but in the shadows of sports such as rugby, netball and cricket.

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.

During the day you'll bring very welcome coaching skills to our sports project, where you'll coach a variety of sports to underprivileged children at a school.

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

Your Coaching Placement

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 which are the best in Auckland 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 has 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.

As the athletics project won't occupy all your time, during the daytime you'll work on the School Sports Project. Here you can coach athletics or a number of other sports for around 4-5 hours every day, leaving your evenings free to coach and train with the athletics club.

The Athletics season and coaching times:

The athletics season runs from:

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

Athletics meetings take place from October - December and February - March and cross country events run through out the winter period. During the school holidays there is the same opportunity to coach athletics as the school term. You will be expected to coach for 2 days a week at the club if you are a long distance/cross country coach but you have the opportunity to coach more days if you wish. If you are a track/field coach you will be coaching for one day a week with the option to do more if 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 $5 - $7 per meeting.

Accommodation and Location

Our accommodation is located in the city centre of Auckland. Therefore you are very central, close to the main train station and shopping district.

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 an excellent kitchen and storage area for cooking meals and plenty of space to relax.

Entertainment at your accommodation includes cheap internet access and cable TV (Sky) as well as an outside balcony. You are literally a stroll from the Sky Tower, harbor and waterfront. Trains and 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 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 city with beautiful surrounding islands and harbour.

Some of its more famous attractions include the Sky Tower, Rangitoto Island, the Harbour, the Hukani Gulf Islands and the many extinct volcanoes that are in Auckland which provide great views of the city.

Auckland has restaurants to suit all tastes - the most popular cuisine is New Zealand lamb which can be ordered at many restaurants around the city and is well worth it.

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.