NIU women’s soccer junior goalkeeper Amy Carr has had international experience playing sports, as well as teaching sports.

With career aspirations of being a coach, she has found her own way to gain experience in that department, by developing a project where she will stay in South Africa for four weeks, coaching underprivileged children in sports, primarily soccer.

Carr talked with the Northern Star about her project.

NS: Was this your idea to start this project and how did you manage to organize it?

AC: Over break, I was trying to think of what I wanted to do in the summer. I know jobs are hard to get at the moment, especially at home, and I don’t have a car. I thought I’d try something completely different. I had a friend who did a similar project, she gave me a few websites to look at. I dropped the people from Travellers World Wide an email and got it started.

NS: Do you have to commit any financial backing to this, or just your time?

AC: Unfortunately, I have to pay an amount, but I worked for a year before coming to NIU. I was teaching sports in schools back in my hometown. That kind of lead me on to this, some of that money will go to this. I’m trying to raise money from sponsorships and donations, which will help me pay for my room, food, travel and the plane ticket there and back. There will be donations to the school I’m working with as well, which has way too few teachers for the amount of kids they have.

NS: Is coaching your desired full time profession in the future?

AC: Yeah, I’ve always wanted to stay in the sports profession. I didn’t know what opportunities were available until I came to the states to play. Coaching women’s soccer didn’t really exist back home, but it’s really popular here. I’d love to coach at the Division I level and lead a team to the NCAA tournament.

NS: You’re an Exercise Science Major, how helpful is that to getting into coaching?

AC: I started as a Physical Education major, but I felt like I had been there done that through my working back home. I feel that exercise science gives me a better idea of how their bodies work and my role as a coach and how to help them be the best they can.

NS: What’s the biggest thing you’re trying to get out of this?

AC: I want to see the end-product. I want to see the impact I can make in those four weeks to as many kids, teachers, and local people I can while I’m there. I want to start a project they can continue as an after school activity, or coach them in a sport that they’ve maybe never heard of. I don’t think people understand that sport can give you more than just the enjoyment factor.