Fiji
Destinations » FijiWith its palmed-fringed beaches, world famous surfing competitions, colourful nightlife, and wonderful hospitality, many visitors to Fiji often end up staying longer than they had originally planned.
Sport is more a way of life than a past time to the people of Fiji. The sports pitch is now seen as the arena where the old warrior culture can be put into practice. The passion for one’s community or team to succeed is fierce and makes for playing sport here an intense affair. Once you’ve experienced a competitive game here, anything else will just feel tame.
Madventurer works with teams and communities where the opportunity to play and be trained by coaches would not normally be there. You will be training junior teams in some of the many clubs and schools there are in and around Lautoka. Being part of a team gives youngsters a sense of achievement and belonging, as well as a lot of excitement. Madventurer is seeking to harness the energy for sport in this country and turn it into something positive for both individuals and the larger communities.
Sports Projects
We offer football, rugby, hockey, netball, tennis and swimming; you can choose to focus on one, or combine many sports.
All of our projects are based in Lautoka on the sunny West coast of Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu. Lautoka is sports-mad, but also known for producing sugar and is affectionately known as ‘Sugar City’. All volunteers live together with our Crew in our house overlooking the sea. With a view out to the islands it is the ultimate place to recover after a hard day’s coaching. We also offer accommodation in shared home-stays.
Fiji is one of the world’s largest recipients of foreign aid per capita and many Fijians live in poverty. A proud nation with unbridled passion for sport and an abundance of natural talent, yet sport still remains vastly underdeveloped due to a lack of funding, facilities and coaching.
Together with local sports development organisations we coach a large number of schools, colleges, clubs and rural village teams. Volunteers have the opportunity to coach a number of sessions during the day. In the evenings you may also be given the chance to train with local clubs to improve your own game and really feel part of the community.
Rugby is the most popular sport in Fiji and is played with great flair. However, despite Fiji Rugby’s success on the international front, the national game receives little financial or coaching support at grassroots level and most children never receive proper coaching to harness their obvious natural flair.
During the day, our rugby projects focus on school’s rugby at primary and secondary level where structured coaching can instantly improve the technique and skill-level of the players. We also work with local academy teams where your experience, training drills and a fresh approach can improve tactical awareness and overall game-play.
Hockey has been played in Fiji since the 1930s, with regional and national leagues, but still lacks any real youth development structure. In the last few years, Madventurer have been responsible for introducing the sport to thousands of children. With basic introductory coaching on grass and regular trips to local pitches to refine the new skills volunteers can really make a difference converting a young player’s enthusiasm into ability.
Volunteers may also be able to coach, train and play with local clubs in the evening and may even take optional trips to Suva to train with national team players on the only water-based Astroturf in that part of the world.
Netball is the most popular women’s sport in Fiji, with many regular players from primary school age up to adult. Although netball has been played in Fiji for years, it is only recently that a structured development plan has been put in place.
Enthusiasm for netball is evident in every school that we coach at. Volunteers can expect a very warm welcome to any adults clubs they train with. Most teams train every night of the week and play matches on a Saturday.
Football is the second most popular sport among boys in Fiji and is widely played on the west coast. There is a highly competitive and well supported national Premier League and the profile of the game has risen dramatically in recent years.
Volunteers can have a major impact on the development of the beautiful game in Fiji working in local schools to improve basic skills. Volunteers may also be able to get involved at local clubs, coaching, training and playing matches in the evening and at weekends. We also have links with the most successful club in Fiji in the nearby town of Ba where our volunteers may have the opportunity to coach at the youth academy and train with the first team.
Coaching Swimming is a vital contribution in a country where drowning is a major cause of death among young people. Lack of pools, funding and inadequate coaching mean that many Fijians never learn to swim. Working in cooperation with the ASAF (Amateur Swimming Association of Fiji), you will help teach children to swim ultimately helping to save lives. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to coach local swimming clubs.
Our Tennis coaching project is based at the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Academy in Lautoka. Tennis is a growing sport in Fiji with promising players working towards sports scholarships for further education overseas. The ITF admit that the main problem in Fiji is making tennis available at grass roots level; this is where our focus lies and with mini-tennis equipment and support from ITF coaches, Madventurer are introducing tennis to children in schools throughout the region. Both swimming and tennis coaching need to be combined with another sport.
Teaching Projects
The main focus of our Teaching Projects is to provide extra support to full-time teachers in primary and secondary schools in Lautoka. Initially working as a teaching assistant, you will subsequently be given opportunities to plan and lead lessons, primarily English lessons but also other subjects to suit your interests and experience.
Volunteers will also teach smaller groups, providing extra lessons to kids at both ends of the spectrum, whether they’re struggling and need help to catch-up or those who want to stretch themselves to a higher standard.
Community Building and Teaching Projects
We also have Projects in remote, inland areas of Fiji’s rugged interior. Volunteers will be living in the spectacular volcanic highlands surrounded by lush forest and jagged mountains but you’re never too far from a glorious beach in Fiji for weekend breaks.
We will be working alongside rural communities that have a close relationship with Madventurer to provide much needed education, health and sanitation infrastructure with opportunities to get involved in the local schools and become immersed in daily life in the village - even do a bit of farming! The villages are mad about rugby and netball so if you fancy combining building, teaching and sports then this is the perfect project for you.
In summary, you can coach and play the following sports in Fiji, click the relevant link below:
Rugby Football
Swimming Hockey
Netball Tennis
And if you fancy teaching in paradise, click the link below:
All Projects in Fiji start regularly
on Saturdays from Feb to Oct
If you want to experience more of what Fiji has to offer, from stunning beaches to adventure sports why not add on an adventure, click the link below for more info.
Feedback
“The experience here I will take with me for the rest of my life. I was very glad to have come to Fiji, and meet people through Madventurer.”
Andy Brookes, 19, Fiji 2007
“Fantastic. You can see that the kids enjoy themselves and appreciated what we were doing. Not only that but I learned a lot from coaching - keeping kids motivated and excited as well as learning along the way.”
Laura Weatherill, 21, Fiji 2006
“Absolutely fantastic, loved it!”
Nicola Ward, Fiji 2006
“Incredible! Not enough room to write how good it has been!”
Tom Rooney, Fiji 2006
“I liked the fact I was included in the school as one of the main teachers, so I felt I had a bit more flexibility and the children had more respect for me”.
Fran Buchanan, Fiji, July 2008
“I would definitely return, it’s an amazing country. I will miss the children I taught. It’s a great place to go for sun, nice people and the culture”.
Jayne Edwards, Fiji, June 2008
“The best bits were meeting new people, getting to go to a variety of schools and generally having the freedom to do things!”
Louise Wright, Fiji, June 2008
“It was a great experience, it was the best thing I have ever done”.
Adam Broomfield, Fiji, July 2008
“The best bit was being given freedom at the school and having flexibility in the classrooms to have fun with the kids”.
Tricia Pater, Fiji, July 2008
“Highs and Lows – Transport to and from the local schools made coaching very easy. ‘Fiji Time’ made coaching quite hard!! This project has been an unbelievable experience, one that I will remember for the rest of my life. The crew, people in the house and the people in the community have all been amazing”.
Luke Gupta, Fiji, August 2008
“So many best bits; the trip to Nakavika village was amazing, I really enjoyed working with and teaching the students at a variety of schools and at a variety of standards. The house was amazing – I loved the pool and the food was always delicious!!”
Miranda Madgin, Fiji, July 2008
For more information, email Tim at mailto:%20tim@madventurer.com
Email the Mad Team
Request a Mad brochure
Contact Madventurer HQ for more details on:
0845 121 1996
MAD ABOUT FIJI:
POPULATION: 905,949
CAPITAL: Suva
FLY TO: Nadi International (NAN)
TIME DIFFERENCE: +12 hours GMT
MAJOR RELIGION: Christian
MAJOR LANGUAGES: English, Fijian, Hindustani
LOCAL CURRENCY: Fijian Dollar (FJD)
GEOGRAPHY NOTE: Fiji is made up of 332 islands; approximately 222 are uninhabited
DID YOU KNOW: Fiji’s national drink Kava, is said to induce euphoric feelings