1st July 2020 – 27th March 2021

I am very grateful for my time at TAFA, it has been such a positive learning curve and gave me a sense of independence and responsibility. My last day at TAFA was the 27th of March and it’s crazy to think how so much can change in 8 months.

On the weekend I ended my 2nd term at TAFA with a coaching camp in Weligama. We went to one of the local fields and invited 2 local schools to come in and play some games against our TAFA select team.

 

Firstly we put them through an hour of coaching. The local boys were split into 4 groups and were to rotate between the 4 stations. Sam and I were in charge of the speed and agility station while the other 3 stations were surrounded around technique. It was a little challenging to communicate with the boys due to the fact that Sam and I obviously couldn’t speak Sinhala or Tamil. But after many hand gestures and some demonstrations, we finally got into the groove of it! Each one of the groups did incredibly well and their fitness was very strong as they continued to play a game afterwards and managed to keep up with our TAFA team!

 

After the 2-hour coaching camp, we ended with some intern bonding at the beach sitting on surfboards and casually catching some waves.

Along with the TAFA camp, Alex Hobart asked Chloe and I to write a little piece about our internship at TAFA and its positive attributes. Here is the piece:

“Working at TAFA as intern coaches for the past two terms has been an enlightening experience, to say the least. As a group, we decided to intern at TAFA for many different reasons. Mainly, to improve our ability to work with students and gain knowledge from our coaches, who have been helping us along the way. They’ve handed us chances to assist and even run our own sessions, which were very helpful to use to learn new coaching skills. It was a very welcoming opportunity and has given us loads of new knowledge and skills on the game, as well as a new perspective, and a new way of interpreting the game. TAFA has also taught us a sense of commitment. Especially when it comes to attending the sessions every week and putting in our best efforts. As well as teaching us a sense of responsibility when it comes to running a session and looking out for the wellbeing of the students. 

As we all know being hit with a pandemic isn’t what we had in mind for this TAFA season. The coaches had to face many challenges through teaching football online but the experience has taught us as interns how to overcome these challenges. 

As a group of interns, it’s safe to say that we have had an incredibly enjoyable experience watching the students at TAFA grow and improve into extremely talented and hard-working footballers, who share the same passion for the sport as us. We look forward to the next term and to seeing these young athletes develop their skills further, and we are excited to grow our coaching skills with them” 

– Chloe, Emily, Ruben, Sam

My time at TAFA has ended and I have retired as a TAFA intern. Through the experience, I met new people who have become some of my closest friends. It taught me how to take responsibility and hold accountability for my actions as an employee at a company. It also created a sense of inner confidence when it comes to taking charge as a leader. I also got a nice reference from the head coach if I ever wanted to pursue coaching or a future job in university. Here is what he said:

24^th March 2021.

To Whom it may concern,

Emily joined TAFA as an intern coach in July 2020. She has been a valued member of the team since this date, with responsibilities including planning coaching sessions, assisting coaches and delivering high-quality training to the children. Beyond her contractual requirements, Emily demonstrates her passion for the job by going above and beyond, for example volunteering her own time to attend and support extra-curricular activities and trips with the squads.

Emily’s positive attitude towards her duties has been evident throughout her tenure, and her hard-working nature has meant she has helped the company to progress. Her ability to think ahead is a notable skill, which has only developed her confidence in communicating with leadership further.”

-Edward Mangan

 

Thank you TAFA