Volunteers Week, Celebrate with us!

About Volunteers' Week

Volunteers' Week is a nationwide week from 1st June to celebrate the work of millions of volunteers who give up their time to help others. This campaign was established in 1984 by Volunteering England which has since merged with NCVO, now the lead for the national campaign.

I help out in sport, am I a volunteer?

The word volunteer is a term that describes someone who is carrying out a task for the benefit of others and does so unpaid. In sport, some people choose to call themselves volunteers, some say they help out and some call themselves by the name of their role (coach, club captain, treasurer). The language used isn't as important as making sure the person doing the task is having a fulfilling experience.

By definition, a volunteer is someone who gives up their time to benefit the environment, individuals or groups other than, or in addition to, close relatives without being paid for it.

Volunteers are under no obligation to do the work, it's a free choice to volunteer. You may be paid expenses but these can only reimburse you for costs incurred whilst you were volunteering, like food and travel.

Do I have to be good at sports to volunteer?

You don't need to be sporty or have any technical knowledge of the sport to volunteer in these sorts of roles at a club.

If you're interested in volunteering, a good place to start is to think about what you can offer as a volunteer. How much time do you want to put in? What skills do you have or would you like to develop? Understanding these will help you find the best role for you in volunteering.

The perks and rewards of volunteering

Volunteering offers lots of rewards. However, none of these can have any tangible value. As soon as your club starts paying you or gives you other benefits with a tangible value, they risk turning your voluntary relationship into a contractual one.

However, volunteering can be a hugely rewarding experience and gives back in many other ways:

• It makes you happier: People who volunteer in sport often feel a sense of pride and say that their life has a sense of purpose.

• You'll meet new people: Volunteering in sport is a great way to make new friends and connections. As a volunteer at a sports club you're often working as part of a team of volunteers. A shared love of sport often leads to new friendships. You won't only connect with the other volunteers in the club, but attending meetings and events is a good way to get to know club members and the wider community too.

• It's a great way to develop new skills: Volunteering can help you to improve current skills or develop new ones. Different roles will offer different opportunities. Some clubs might also offer you training to develop new skills that will help you in your role. So volunteering doesn't only benefit your club, but also you as a volunteer.

How Volunteering can help with long term employability

If you would like to work in the sports sector, volunteering won't guarantee you a future job, but it shows a commitment to sport that will help if you're applying for paid roles. Some roles such as coaching can be paid or unpaid, but you will probably need to start out in a volunteer role even if you do eventually get paid to coach.

We will be celebrating #VolunteersWeek throughout the week so stay tuned for content pumped throughout our social media channels!

Sources: (Sport England, 2018 & Volunteers Week, 2018)