Register your interest for volunteering at National School Games!

Posted: Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:29

Having been hooked by School Games fever in 2016, Loughborough is set to experience the same in August and September as the National School Games returns.

Twelve National Governing Bodies of Sport are involved in the planning and running of their competitions at this event. Of the twelve sports, five of them, Athletics, Cycling, Fencing, Swimming and Table Tennis incorporate disability events, and two of them, Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Tennis are Paralympic only sports. The remainder of the sports are; Hockey, Judo, Volleyball, Women's Cricket and Women's Rugby Sevens.

The School Games is the perfect way for aspiring athletes to experience what it is like to be at a major event, such as a Commonwealth Games or World Championships.

And with more than 1,600 athletes set to take part on behalf of their nations, regions and schools, it takes a lot of organisation and some steady heads to be responsible for overseeing things.

Held at the industry leading facilities at Loughborough University, the School Games last year saw thousands of competitors, coaches, supporters and volunteers do their bit to ensure the event went down as one of the best yet.

But this year they are looking to produce something even better – and that's where you could come in. The Youth Sport Trust are looking to recruit 400 volunteers to ensure that the 2017 Games goes down as the very best they have ever had.

Roles are not limited to just one area, with a number of possible responsibilities to take on. From making sure all the cars know exactly where they're heading through to helping to run the events, you could play a starring role in the development of aspiring future sportspeople.

The School Games has already produced some of the finest athletes Team GB has ever had. Current athletes such as Adam Peaty, Hannah Cockroft and Ellie Simmonds have all participated, and the next generation of School Games graduates is just around the corner.

It takes a particular set of skills to become a School Games volunteer. A kind, friendly personality is always a good start, as is the determination to ensure things run smoothly and as well as it possibly can. It helps to be outgoing as well, to make everyone feel as welcome and comfortable as possible.

Don't worry if you've never done any sort of volunteering before either. Everyone has to start somewhere and all applicants will be considered regardless of their backgrounds. And for those successful, there's also the bonus of receiving free kit, lunch throughout and an invitation to the Volunteer Celebration Evening on the 2^nd September.

And if you're a little unsure about whether volunteering is the right thing for you, take a look at the video below to see what it was like for last year's volunteers.