|
In Ireland, there are no formal pathways for volunteering into sport. Typically, people volunteer through their (a) current or previous connection to sport (b) their relationship to participants or (c) previous experience volunteering in a related sector. For the sports club there is a need to recognize that there are multiple reasons why people choose to volunteer. The club needs to understand these reasons when they are trying to recruit volunteers. The reasons include
- An interest / passion in the sport;
- A desire to give something back to the club or sport;
- Enjoy working with young people;
- Family engagement or connections;
- A desire to help in the community;
- Personal benefits;
- To learn new skills;
- A desire to see participants improve and learn;
- As a pathway into coaching;
- Fun and enjoyment through interaction with people;
- To do something good; and
- Social networking.
From this list it is clear that motivations are primarily what might be described as altruistic, social or family-connected. Motivations tend to vary by gender with men volunteering primarily to give something back to the club / sport while women's volunteering is primarily driven by their children's involvement in sport and physical activity programmes (Delaney and Fahey, 2005).
Previous engagement in sport influences a person's decision to volunteer (Delaney and Fahey 2005). As such it is important for sports clubs to recognize that current young participants are more likely to be future volunteers. Seen that way, there is an opportunity for sports clubs to nurture young people and develop a broader skill set (coaching, administration) as part of their sporting experience. A youth volunteer strategy is something which all clubs should seriously consider as part of a long-term volunteer development strategy. Clubs would be wise to remind those working with children and youth that they are not only preparing sports participants they are also nurturing the next generation of volunteers and administrators.
The most common way into any form of volunteering in Ireland is through word of mouth and being asked to help (Volunteer Development Agency, 2001). Considering volunteers are motivated by social, family and community connections it makes sense that this type of recruitment predominates. However it does highlight that pathways are restricted and provide limited access to people outside the network. For local clubs and sports clubs there may be opportunities to work with the relevant Local Sports Partnership (LSP) in trying to expand the potential recruitment base given that LSPs have access to a broader range of information about sporting activity.
For sports clubs it is worth noting whether potential volunteers have had any previous experience volunteering in other sectors e.g. scouts. While the environment may be different it is possible that these volunteer recruits could transfer some of their skills to the new sporting environment and achieve early success for the sports club.
Many volunteers are motivated by an enjoyment of being involved in a cycle of teaching participants and observing their learning and achievement. This type of motivation may play a role in retaining volunteers in the system and as a selling point for the recruitment of new volunteers.
It is important to remember that volunteering should be a process of engagement between the club, the individual volunteer and the sports participant. All 3 should benefit from the process. Feedback mechanisms from the participant to the volunteer to the club are important parts of this process and should not be overlooked.
|