The last half of my volunteering experience has settled into a comfortable and productive rhythm. I decided to write this summary by reflecting on my regular routine, as the past three weeks have been consistently structured. My days are spent across three different projects, my fitness is maintained by playing hockey three times a week, and I continue to lead my weekly hockey coaching session on Monday evenings. This consistent schedule has allowed me to immerse myself more deeply in the community and my designated roles.

Coaching Session

Over the past three weeks, I have been able to develop my coaching sessions significantly. This progress has been helped considerably by my improving Spanish, which has broken down communication barriers, as well as by the stronger relationships I have formed with the children. This improved rapport means the players are more trusting and receptive to my instructions.

My main objective over these three weeks has been to develop their tactical structure during play. The children clearly possess good individual stick skills and natural athleticism, but they lack an understanding of how to play into the right spaces, which is caused by their lack of a formal attacking structure. They tend to follow the ball rather than anticipating the play and creating passing options. Similarly, in defence, they need to be more targeted in the spaces they are forcing the opposition into, rather than simply chasing the ball carrier. To address this, I had some drills already prepared for these scenarios that focused on positioning and teamwork, which went down well. The main challenge, as in my first two weeks, was the limited pitch size and inconsistent space, which required me to constantly adapt the drills to be effective.

School Teaching

Having now been to the school projects several times, I feel a lot more comfortable and recognise many of the children, which has made interacting with them much more natural. An interesting observation is that not all the same children are at the same school every day, which presents a challenge for building consistent skill progression. The process, especially in the after school club, is starting to feel a bit repetitive. The children are really keen to just play football, and when we suggest doing some structured drills to improve their skills, they show almost no interest at all. I understand they just want to play and have fun after a long day in the classroom, but from my perspective as a volunteer hoping to make an impact, it can feel like a missed opportunity for their development.

A more challenging dynamic has emerged during the school-based projects concerning the collaboration with the PE teachers. By being present, we are there to support them in their own lessons. However, over the last few weeks, as we have taken on more responsibility, this has increasingly meant that we lead the sessions entirely, while the PE teacher takes a break and goes on their phone. I understand that we are there to help and lighten their workload, but I don’t believe this behaviour is beneficial for the children’s discipline or long-term learning. It creates an awkward atmosphere and undermines the structure of the class.

Playing Hockey

Over the last few weeks, the charity was able to connect me with a local hockey club, which has been a fantastic and really fun experience. I have been training three times a week, and the schedule has been intense, including one session that starts at a bracing 7:00 AM! Each session is two and a half hours long, with the first hour dedicated solely to fitness. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of playing in a different country. The style of play feels very different, but there are many surprising similarities in club culture to what I have seen in the UK.