A credit-eligible sports internship in Buenos Aires: coach soccer, rugby, hockey or tennis with our own project. From 4 weeks, $1,195 for 4 weeks.
Sports internship · Argentina
Coach soccer, rugby, field hockey or tennis at our own project in Argentina while you earn credit, build your résumé and learn Spanish. From 4 weeks, no application fee.
Apply for this internship See the priceAbout Argentina
Argentina is the land of Messi and Maradona, of tango, asado and the Iguazu Falls. In Buenos Aires, not every kid has a club or a safe place to play close to home, and that is where our project comes in.
Years of inflation and economic crisis have pushed more and more families into those neighborhoods, and more and more children into our programs. That is exactly why we need coaches.
Our colleagues in Buenos Aires use sports to give kids a safe place to play, a coach who shows up every week, and lessons in teamwork, decision-making, leadership and communication that happen on the field without anyone calling them lessons.
The project
More than 2,000 kids a year take part in the programs. You never coach alone: every practice is run together with an Argentine coordinator.
The project was founded in 2010 by Alejandro Lozano, who still runs it today. It works in neighborhoods across Buenos Aires, at a soccer school, at local clubs and at city-run sports centers where kids from families without the money for club fees can play for free.
As a volunteer you choose the sport you coach: soccer, tennis, rugby or field hockey. Practices take place on weekdays, mostly in the afternoons, and last three to four hours. That leaves plenty of time for Spanish lessons, for playing yourself at a local club, and for exploring Argentina on the weekends.
You do not need a coaching license. What you need is a basic knowledge of the rules of your sport, a lot of enthusiasm, and the patience to coach kids who speak little English. Everyone speaks the language of sports, and we help you with the rest.
Sports you can coach
Pick one sport or combine two. Every sport below has a local coach you work alongside.
It will not surprise you that soccer is by far the most popular sport in Argentina. Nobody expects you to find the next Maradona, but you will quickly see that soccer is played on every field, in every street and in every alley. Coaching here means joining the street soccer culture that produced some of the best players in the world.
Our soccer project works with players between 4 and 16 years old from neighborhoods across Buenos Aires. Practices take place at a soccer school and at several local clubs. Coaches of every level are welcome; it helps if you play regularly, understand the game and know the rules. The focus is on the social development of the kids: an organized, safe place to play and grow.
You assist the local coaches with new drills, lead parts of the practice yourself and teach tactics and team play. There is also an educational side: helping the kids with their English before or after practice.
In January, Buenos Aires runs city summer camps for players aged 16 to 25. You can coach there too, and play along, which is the fastest way to make Argentine friends.
Our tennis project has two parts, aimed at different ages and levels. The first is a city-run program that introduces kids aged 8 to 12 to tennis. The city asked for international volunteers because it helps the kids learn English and gets them excited about the sport.
The second part coaches players aged 13 to 18 who want to compete at a higher level. These boys and girls have a real passion for tennis, and personal attention is what moves them forward. You prepare them for matches and maybe for the first steps of a promising career.
You work alongside coaches hired by the city to organize practices for the kids, which is also a great way to improve your Spanish. The coaches will ask you to teach the kids some English during practice.
You also work one-on-one with players on their serve, backhand and movement on the court.
Rugby is the second most popular sport in Argentina, and after recent Rugby World Cup results it is firmly in the top three. It is mostly a middle-class sport, though: many kids never get to try it, because gear and clubs are out of reach. By joining this project you give more kids the chance to play and to be coached.
Your project has two sides. In the city-run sports parks, kids take part in free government programs that use rugby to get children active. You work with PE teachers who are grateful for the help. In the evenings you coach at a local rugby club, where the standard is higher, matches are played on weekends and junior games are on Saturday mornings.
You do not need a coaching qualification; some experience playing or coaching helps.
In the sports parks you help the coaches set up drills and work on basic skills such as passing, kicking and running with the ball. At the club the focus shifts to tactical awareness, passing and team play, and you add a new dimension the players will appreciate quickly.
There is an educational side here too: homework sessions in English before practice.
Field hockey is the most popular women’s sport in Argentina, and more and more boys are picking it up. The national women’s team ranks among the best in the world, which encourages kids to try hockey as an alternative to soccer and rugby. Despite that popularity, many schools and organizations cannot afford sticks and balls, and good coaches are hard to find, so many kids rarely get the chance to play.
You coach at a foundation that uses hockey to help kids aged 6 to 17 grow in confidence and teamwork. Facilities are basic and you will mostly coach on grass. Because coaches are so hard to find, the kids will be thrilled to have you. The second part of your project takes place at established hockey clubs with proper facilities, where you run practices and structured games. Doing both, you will see the stark contrast between these two worlds.
No coaching qualification needed. Playing or coaching experience is a plus.
You organize after-school hockey practices and introduce new drills around passing, positioning and possession, with plenty of competition and games to keep the kids motivated. Local staff coach you until you are ready to run practices on your own.
At the clubs your own ideas and drills are welcome. You can play at a local club yourself, which is great for your Spanish and your social life.
Where you live
You live in Palermo, the largest and arguably best-loved neighborhood of Buenos Aires: green parks, tree-lined avenues, colorful street art and endless cafés, restaurants and bars. By day you walk to the parks; at night this is where young Buenos Aires goes out.
You will recognize the house right away by its orange façade painted in fileteado, the traditional decorative art of Buenos Aires. Behind the front door: a green courtyard with ivy-covered walls, a palm tree and mosaic tables under a big parasol, the perfect spot for your first mate of the day. Inside there is a lounge with velvet chairs, books about Argentina and tango lyrics on the walls. On the roof, a terrace with a real parrilla for an asado with your housemates.
For students
A natural fit for kinesiology, exercise science, sport management, physical education, coaching, recreation and leisure studies, event management, marketing, education, social work and international development. Whatever your major, you are placed as a sports coach first; your assignments are built around that.
Besides coaching you can spend part of your week on your academic assignment. Past interns have set up a large sports event, built a new sport into the curriculum, run a research project with the kids and organized a fundraiser. Office days are possible if your school requires them.
We sign internship agreements, provide a named supervisor on site, fill in your school’s evaluation forms and write a final report. Many US and Canadian students earn credit through their department or study abroad office; ask them early about funding such as study abroad scholarships.
Internships run 8 to 24 weeks and can be aligned with your semester, summer or J-term. We can always tailor the internship to your learning goals in a personal call.
Pricing
One price covers your program. No application fee, no deposit, no surprises.
$0 application fee · $0 deposit
Not included: flights, travel insurance, visa fees and personal spending.
Apply for this internshipGood to know
None of our projects require certificates or a sports degree. As a volunteer you have a supporting role and you are never on your own. We are not looking for the next Messi; we want to help kids from every background build life skills through sports. Basic knowledge of the rules of your sport and a lot of enthusiasm are what matters.
It is not a must, but it makes your project a lot easier. Our staff speak good English, but most people in Argentina do not. We encourage you to practice before you go, and we offer an online beginner course with 10 one-hour lessons, free if you stay 10 weeks or more.
Four weeks is the minimum. Shorter than that it becomes a vacation rather than a volunteer experience, for you and for the kids. For the best experience we recommend 12 weeks or more.
There are always other volunteers and interns at the house, usually between 10 and 20, from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and other countries. Ask us how many people are booked for your dates, and we add you to a group chat before you leave.
Not at all. Breakfast is included and vegetarian options are available. For other meals you cook yourself or eat out; Buenos Aires has plenty of vegetarian options.
After the intro call you decide if this is for you. If you go, we schedule a second call to walk through your personal dashboard: visa, vaccinations, insurance, flights and what to pack. Everything is written out in detail so nothing is left to chance.
Your team on the ground
Shortly after finishing his master’s in International Relations in London, Alejandro founded the project in 2010 for kids in the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. He studied the approach of our other projects in depth and adapted it to the needs of Argentine kids.
Alejandro is passionate about sports and about field hockey in particular. He is closely involved in the professional hockey circuit in Argentina and keeps warm contacts with players, coaches and clubs. You see that in how he runs his project: quality, accessibility and team spirit.
Ceci teaches Spanish at the University of Buenos Aires and is Alejandro’s partner. She runs our online Spanish course for beginners: ten one-hour lessons, twice a year, every Monday evening.
The course is free for everyone who joins the project for 10 weeks or more. Already speak some Spanish? Then you can take lessons at your own level in Buenos Aires.
Ready?
Tell us your sport and your dates. We tell you honestly whether Argentina is the right fit, and connect you with your coordinator before you commit to anything.
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