- The volunteer benefits
- The programme and participants benefit
- The volunteer’s community benefits
Benefits to the volunteer
When someone volunteers their time and skills it can appear like a one-way process – they offer themselves, their time to a club or sports programme, producing the following benefits.
- Enabling participation in sport and physical activity
- Promoting a healthy lifestyle
- Helping youths engage in positive activity
- Giving something back to the community
- Helping others realize their potential
It is important that people involved in sport at all levels recognise volunteers' efforts and support and reward those who volunteer in sport.
Equally as well as ‘giving’ to an organization each volunteer will be getting something back – volunteering has many rewards and benefits for the individual.
- Gain experience in a sports environment
- Develop new skills and attributes
- Be part of a club or community sports organisation
- Enhance you employability
Benefits to the club or programme
Here are some quotes from volunteer organisers in sports programmes and clubs about the benefits of engaging with volunteers:
“Volunteer coaches and managers allow us to have more kids involved.”
“Volunteer work offers work experience to volunteers.”
“Because we are under-resourced we need volunteers to survive.”
“We want our club to be a community of people all working towards the same ends – the fact that people are willing to work for no financial pay shows that our cause is worth working for and that people aren’t clients.”
“Because we need the perceptions and experience of as wide a range of people as possible to help us do the work properly, for example people with disabilities, professional people and people from ethnic minorities.”
“Volunteers can provide much needed extra pair of hands.”
“Volunteers often have first-hand experience needed to run our club.”
“We can help volunteers get skills and experience that can help them get jobs in sport.”
“It is a way to keep ex-players involved in the sport.”
Community benefits
Volunteering in sport has the following benefits for Scottish communities.
- Building a healthy population and minimising the costs to the NHS and wider society of an unfit population
- Teaching the values of a healthy lifestyle to successive generations and making that lifestyle sustainable
- Building relationships of trust between different generations, genders and ethnic groups
- Building community leadership and organisational capacity
- Providing opportunities for individual and collective progression through training and development
- Maintaining facilities which are of wider community benefit than simply for sports
- Advancing standards of personal, community and national performance through the use of volunteer coaches
- Providing non-cash based solutions to community capacity building, consistent with the objectives of community planning
- Improving the wider availability/national capacity of motivational, people management and team co-ordination skills
Possible volunteer roles in sport
Through coaching, refereeing, Active Schools, events management, marketing, physical education, facility maintenance and many other areas, the world of sport and physical recreation provides a rich variety of interesting and rewarding volunteering and career opportunities.
It is estimated more than 145,000 people volunteer in the Scottish sport and leisure industry and that as many as 40,000 people are employed in the industry.
Potential types of volunteer roles:
- Coaching Active Schools leaders
- Managing Refereeing
- Events management Ground keeping
- Facility management & maintenance Marketing
- Leisure management Sports journalism
- Outdoor pursuits Sports medicine
- Information technology Sport and policy
Common questions
What can I do?
The most popular activity is probably coaching, however you can get involved in a wide variety of ways depending on your skills or interests. There are opportunities to coach, assist, organise events, fundraise, get involved in the committe of a local club.
Do I need to be fantastic at a sport?
No you simply need interest and enthusiasm!
Do I need coaching qualifications?
The sports organisation should put you through any qualifications that you need to carry out your role. If funding is not available, it is possible to access funding. You may also get the opportunity to do other courses.
How much time do I need to have?
Most people volunteer on average 2-3 hours a week but there are also opportunities to volunteer more or less frequently.
Do I need a disclosure check?
The organisation will arrange to have a disclosure check done if you are in charge of children or vulnerable adults.
