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Volunteer projects playing and coaching sport

Playing cricket in Australia

Sport Lived is a pioneering company that arranges for young people to combine sport with gap year travel. There are fabulous opportunities on offer to play, coach and attend sporting academies across Australia and New Zealand. Sport enthusiasts of all abilities are welcomed onto programmes which are tailored to individual requirements as participants are matched up with clubs who compete at their desired level. Coaching placements offer a wonderful chance to live and work overseas and earn money through teaching sport to local children. Also on offer are academy programmes in which participants can hone their skills surrounded by first-rate coaches and facilities.

Paul McMahon, England U19 Cricket captain, was certainly very keen to take part in a Sport Lived programme. After graduating from Oxford with a degree in Law, Paul decided to pursue a cricket programme and is currently playing cricket in Sydney.

Paul writes...

"After completing my degree at university I was really keen to spend a Winter overseas where I could work hard at my game and live in a great city. The Sport Lived cricket programme was ideal because they organised a quality cricket club for me to join whilst also arranging my accommodation and helping me to find work."

One of the key attractions of Sport Lived placements is the chance to live alongside other participants whilst overseas. "Living with other young people playing sport in Sydney has definitely been one of the best aspects of my programme. We’ve had so much fun together and enjoyed lots of great nights out in Darling Harbour and Circular Quay!" Fully furnished accommodation is provided in attractive suburbs such as Glebe and Bondi. Included in the price are all bills so there are no unexpected costs

Living overseas is also a great opportunity to gain work experience. Sport Lived offer assistance in finding work putting you in touch with potential employers. "I found it really easy to find work in Sydney. Sport Lived provided lots of useful companies to contact when I arrived and I have been able organise paid work as a cricket coach at the Sydney Cricket Ground and work as a journalist in the sport section of a local newspaper."

James Hawley was another participant who took part on a cricket programme during his post A-level gap year. James played in Christchurch during the 2004/05 season. He lived in the suburb of Riccarton very close to the city centre but also with a thriving community of its own. His accommodation was within five minutes walk of the Hagley Oval where James played and trained; "Riccarton was perfect, you literally couldn’t get any better. There were loads of cool bars and cafes and the Riccarton mall had everything you could need. It was all within ten minutes walk from my flat, although the city centre itself was only twenty minutes away!"

James lived with three other people playing at the same club; "Our house was a diverse mix but living with people who were also playing for the same club meant I had a solid base of mates from the start of my programme." The social scene was also important for James, "I made some great new friends and we had a lot of fun. Every Saturday after we had played a match there would be six teams, including the women’s sides too, all going up to the club house and having drinks in the evening sunshine."

Living abroad also offers a fantastic chance to travel and explore beyond your city base. James travelled around the Canterbury region during a four week Christmas break from training; "The area is so beautiful, I can’t explain it. We travelled around and saw some truly breathtaking sights."

The experience of living and playing sport in a fantastic new city is not one anyone will forget in a hurry. "I loved meeting so many new people," James concluded, "and I’m seriously thinking of going back to play Cricket in Christchurch again, I enjoyed it so much that by the end I never wanted to leave."