Sport sector
Volunteers add great value to the sector by ensuring organised activities are affordable, well run, and inclusive.
Small, not-for-profit sports clubs and organisations are the backbone of many local communities and are mostly run by volunteers. In 2014, 48% of sport and recreation volunteers in Victoria reported contributing 50 hours or more per year. 8 Without volunteers’ contribution, sport as we know it would not exist. 2, 10, 11, 12, 33
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 25% of Australians aged 15 years and over participated in unpaid voluntary work through an organisation in 2020. The most common types of organisations for which people volunteered were: 7
- Sport and physical recreation (31% of volunteers)
- Religious groups (23% of volunteers)
- Education and training (19% of volunteers)
Volunteers are also vital to the successful running of large events like sporting championships, or the Olympic, Paralympic, or Commonwealth Games. Olympic volunteer programs have helped deliver every Games since the London Summer Olympic Games in 1948. The programs promote the Olympic spirit and contribute to creating new volunteer cultures and legacies. For the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games, over 200,000 volunteer applications were received, reflecting enthusiasm for the Games, and sport volunteering, across Japan and the world. 13, 14
In recent years, many programs and strategies have been developed to identify, attract, retain, and acknowledge volunteers. You can find details on specific programs in the policies, programs, and supporting structures section of this topic.
This recognises not only the significant role and value of volunteers to the sport and active recreation sector, but the benefits of volunteering for individuals and the broader society. 2, 11
Resources and reading
- Volunteers: the "heartbeat" of Olympic legacy, opens in a new tab, International Olympic Committee, (6 December 2019). Volunteers are often hailed for being the “lifeblood” of the Olympic Games, working tirelessly to ensure their success, but since their introduction at the Olympic Games London 1948, volunteer programs have contributed to much more than delivery of the Games. Volunteers have gained lifetime skills and unique experiences, promoted the Olympic spirit and created new volunteer cultures and legacies which continue to benefit their countries to this day. More than 200,000 applications to volunteer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were submitted, a number which reflects the unprecedented enthusiasm for the Games across Japan.
- Sport Volunteering, opens in a new tab, Russell Hoye, Graham Cuskelly, Chris Auld, et.al., Routledge, (July 2019).
- Sports Volunteers Around the Globe: Meaning and Understanding of Volunteering and its Societal Impact, opens in a new tab, Kristin Hallmann, Sheranne Fairley (eds.), Springer, (2018).
- Volunteers in Sport: International perspectives, opens in a new tab, Nichols G (editor), Routledge, (2014).
- The National Standards for Volunteer Involvement, opens in a new tab, Volunteering Australia, (2015). The National Standards for Volunteer Involvement (the National Standards) have been developed in consultation with the volunteering sector to support the involvement of volunteers and act as a resource for organisations in which volunteers are involved. They provide a framework for organisations to consider the role of volunteers within the organisation and the impact effective volunteer involvement can have on achieving the strategic goals and aims of the organisation.
- Sport Volunteering in Europe: Realities, opportunities and challenges, opens in a new tab, V4V: Skills acquired through volunteering in sport project, European Observatoire of Sport and Employment, (October 2023). This report is the first intellectual output from V4V, a major three-year collaborative partnership project, co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ sport programme, consisting of 12 partners (national and international federations, universities and education bodies, sport and research institutes, and national, European and global umbrella organisations) all of whom have a deep interest in the promotion and development of sport volunteering. V4V was led and coordinated by the European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE). Key findings include:
- All strands of research show that volunteering is an indispensable resource for the sport sector, and that sport organisations could not provide opportunities for the general population to engage in sport and healthy physical activity without the support of volunteers. .
- Volunteers are in the majority in all key positions in grassroots sport organisations
- In addition to their unpaid efforts, sport volunteers are also vital in: Bringing energy and enthusiasm to sport organisations, Helping to build relationships with local communities, Introducing new participants to sport.
- Sport volunteering brings benefits to society in the form of: Social cohesion, Solidarity, Improved physical and mental wellbeing.
- Sport volunteering also contributes to the personal wellbeing and development of the volunteers themselves in the form of: Social interaction, Making a difference to the lives of others, Fun and enjoyment, Time away from busy lifestyles, The acquisition of new knowledge and skills, Social and economic mobility.
- Sport organisations need to fully understand and appreciate the potential benefits which volunteers bring or could bring to all areas of their work and to society as a whole.
- In order to maximise volunteer engagement sport organisations must highlight the positive benefits of volunteering for the volunteers themselves and the wider community when promoting volunteering and seeking to recruit and retain volunteers.
- European Report on Skills Needs Identification: Situation, trends, perspectives and priorities for the sport and physical activity sector, opens in a new tab, European Observatoire of Sport and Employment, (March 2023). In every nation in Europe, the backbone of the sector is a network of sport clubs, most of which are volunteer-run and not-for-profit. The contribution of volunteers to the sport sector, which while not direct financing is worth billions of euros to the European sport sector and indeed sport would grind to a halt without volunteer input of time and effort to make sport happen in communities. In relation to benefits of volunteering, some of the key insights include:
- General Social Survey, opens in a new tab, Australian Bureau of Statistics, (June 2021), latest release. During the time that the GSS was conducted in 2020, initiatives were in place to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and support the economy. Because of changed methodology and the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the Australian population, care should be exercised when making comparisons with previous years. This report provides a breakdown of the volunteer characteristics:
- Australians had volunteered for 489.5 million hours in 2020 and 596.2 million hours in 2019.
- One quarter (25%) of Australians aged 15 years and over participated in unpaid voluntary work through an organisation in 2020, lower than the 30% in 2019.
- Volunteering rates for males and females were similar at 23% and 26%.
- The most common types of organisations for which people volunteered were those relating to sport and physical recreation (31% of volunteers), religious groups (23%), and education and training (19%).
- Active Lives, opens in a new tab, Department for Health and Ageing, Government of South Australia, prepared for the Office of Recreation, Sport and Racing, (2019 and 2021). Adapted from the ‘Active Lives’ survey published by Sport England, additional questions regarding health and wellbeing, community connectedness and individual development were included to investigate their relationship with physical activity. Regarding volunteering, the survey aimed to determine the rates of sport volunteering and links between volunteering in sport, wellbeing and social outcomes.
- In the 2021 report, of those who volunteered in sport, about 40% reported providing any other help for a sport or recreational physical activity, 39% reported raising funds for a sports club, organisation or event, and 33% provided transport to help people to take part in sport' 31% were coaches or instructors for an individual or team, 27% performed an administrative or committee role, and 22% were referees, umpires, or officials (multiple responses were allowed).
- Volunteering and Settlement in Australia: A snapshot, opens in a new tab, Volunteering Australia, Settlement Council of Australia, (May 2019). Volunteering Australia and the Settlement Council of Australia have conducted a National Survey on Volunteering and Settlement in Australia to inform our findings. Motivations to volunteer differ for everyone, however respondents were largely looking to contribute to society, make friends, improve their English or gain local work experience. The report highlights research from McKinsey that found that companies that are more diverse are more likely to improve their customer orientation, employee satisfaction, and decision making. Further, companies that are more ethnically diverse are 35 per cent more likely to perform better than their industry partners.
- Value of Sport, opens in a new tab, Sport NZ, (March 2018). A study exploring the value of sport to New Zealanders, their communities and our country. Active NZ in 2013/14 estimated that 28.1% of adults had volunteered at least once over the previous year, and these volunteers contributed 67.7 million hours of volunteered time over 12 months with an estimated market value of NZ$1.031b. 35% of volunteers state that their reason for volunteering is to contribute to their community. 25% of volunteers are also motivated by the opportunity to gain new skills (and improve employment opportunities).
- Volunteering Australia Response on a National Sports Plan, opens in a new tab, Volunteering Australia, (July 2017). The National Sports Plan aims to guide the future priorities and approaches of the Australian sporting sector for the long term. Volunteering Australia believes that a National Sport Plan needs to acknowledge volunteering as a key pillar for sporting activity in Australia, and develop mechanisms to facilitate and enhance its contribution. They also emphasised that volunteering must be considered in policy development and workforce planning. The response highlights the need for a sustained investment into the volunteering sector by the Australian Government to ensure long term benefits.
- Volunteers in Victoria: trends, challenges and opportunities, opens in a new tab, State of Victoria, Ministerial Council for Volunteers, (June 2017). [Download link] This report was developed to provide a contemporary narrative for volunteering. It also provides a summary of the known social benefits, economic value and current trends. Findings from this report highlight key trends, challenges and opportunities for volunteering and have informed the development of strategic priorities to strengthen and support the volunteer sector in Victoria. ;Some key findings included:
- Most people volunteer because they want to help others and the community (66%), for personal satisfaction (62%), or to do something worthwhile (56%).
- 75% of Victorian volunteers had a parent who volunteered.
- Sport and recreation organisations attract the highest proportion of volunteers (32%), followed by education and training (25%), welfare and community (21%), religious (19%) and health organisations (11%).
- In regional Victoria, the sport and recreation (15%) and church and spiritual (10%) sectors had the highest rates of weekly volunteering.
- Over 231,000 Victorians (48% of sport and recreation volunteers) reported contributing 50 hours or more per year, which equates to a minimum of nearly one hour per week.
- Sporting and recreation clubs are the engine room of volunteering – in 2014, 84% of people who volunteered had also participated in organised team sport as a child. This was significantly higher participation than other organised activities, such as youth groups (62%) and arts/cultural activities (52%).
- d63c877f-8822-4929-b5eb-533704d90679, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for the Australian Sports Commission, (2017). This review focused on the overall sports sector, with a particular emphasis on participation in sport and community level sport. In regards to volunteering the report calculates that the sector employs over 220,000 people, with a further 1.8 million committed volunteers donating 158 million hours to sport each year – equivalent in time to nearly 90,000 additional full-time jobs and $3 billion in economic value.
- State of Volunteering in Australia report, opens in a new tab, Volunteering Australia/PWC, (April 2016). Volunteering Australia and PwC have conducted a survey to analyse the current state of volunteering in Australia, and to identify opportunities to maximise the potential of the volunteer workforce. Sport is included as one of the industries/areas of volunteer participation investigated.
- The most benefits for organisations involving volunteers were new insights brought by volunteers (67 per cent). Many also suggested that volunteers improved the effectiveness and volume of operations (64 per cent and 62 per cent respectively). Fewer respondents found that volunteers were able to fill skills gaps (39 per cent).
- Respondents with volunteer shortages were asked to identify why they had been unable to engage the optimal number of volunteers. The primary problems appeared to be either a lack of suitable candidates or no means of locating them (30 per cent). There were also internal barriers such as time constraints (12 per cent), while most organisations also suggested some limitations stemming from an inadequate funding base (12 per cent). There was also a clear consensus across the states that a mismatch between desired and available candidates sustained suboptimal levels of volunteers.
- Hidden diamonds: Uncovering the true value of sport volunteers, opens in a new tab, Join in, (2014). Our starting hypothesis was that volunteers should not be seen as a cost saving but as investors – people who invest their time, skills and energy both for their own benefit and for the wider community. Going beyond traditional valuation methods, which use the cost-replacement model, the research investigated the true value of sports volunteering to personal wellbeing and happiness of the volunteers themselves, plus the wider benefit to their communities. Sport is the single biggest sector of volunteering in the UK. More than one fifth of the 15 million people who volunteer regularly spend their time volunteering in sport – 3.2 million people in total. And with each volunteer in sport staying involved for 6.2 years on average, the profit of volunteering in sport is truly astonishing. The average club has 24 volunteers and 204 members. In other words, one volunteer creates the capacity for 8.5 members (or players).
- Economic Value of Volunteering in Victoria, opens in a new tab, Duncan Ironmonger, University of Melbourne, Victorian Government, Department of Planning and Community Development, (December 2012). Although anecdotal evidence suggests that the economic contribution of volunteering is great, there are limited reliable figures on the exact monetary value. While we have various official statistics about participation rates, there are no readily available official statistics to show the important contribution volunteering makes to the Victorian economy. This report estimated that by adding the value of organised, unorganised and travel together, volunteering was worth about $7.1 billion to the Victorian economy in 1992, growing to $16.4 billion in 2006. Volunteers also provided a volume of work equivalent to 260,500 jobs in 1992 rising to 359,100 in 2006. This is equivalent to an additional 13.4 per cent of the paid number of people employed in Victoria 1992 and 14.2 per cent in 2006.
- Sport and Social Capital, Australia, 2010, opens in a new tab, Australian Bureau of Statistics, (March 2012) Final report (ceased). This report examines the relationship between participation in sport and physical recreation and social wellbeing using a range of indicators from the 2010 General Social Survey (GSS). Literature suggests that volunteering in the community is an important contributor to the development and maintenance of social capital (Nicholson and Hoye 2008). Data from the GSS show that sport participants are an important source of volunteers in the community. Over three quarters of those who volunteered their time and services to an organisation also participated in some sport or recreational activity during that same time period. The participation rate for non-volunteers was much lower.
- Sport’s unsung heroes: Involvement in non-playing roles, opens in a new tab, Australian Bureau of Statistics (Perspectives on Sport series), Catalogue Number 4156.0.55.001, (June 2011). Many local sporting clubs rely on volunteers to fill diverse roles; such as coaches, referees, committee members, groundskeepers and canteen workers. The time commitment involved, and in some cases the need for specialised skills and knowledge, makes the people who occupy these non-playing roles a valuable community resource. This article looks at the characteristics of people in non-playing roles in the sport and active recreation sector.
- The economic contribution of sport to Australia - 2009, Frontier Economics report to the Australian Sports Commission, (2010). There are three main ways in which sport delivers economic benefits to society: (1) promotion of physical activity for public health benefit delivers an estimated saving of $12 billion in health care costs, (2) labour input of volunteers is valued at around $4 billion, and (3) the international success of elite Australian sportspeople is one of the most significant measurable positive impacts on social well-being; with a value that is likely to exceed the current annual budget for elite sports.
- The Future of Sport in Australia (2009), Crawford M, Australian Government, Independent Sport Panel (2009). The report of the Independent Sport Panel, commonly known as the ‘Crawford Report’, highlighted the critical importance of volunteers to Australian sport. The report noted that, "The Australian Government should develop and fund a national volunteer program for sporting and physical activity organisations that aims to attract and retain volunteers to sport through education, accreditation and recognition, and in particular takes account of the potential offered by the growing number of older Australians to become volunteers".
- Australia, opens in a new tab, Sheranne Fairley, Pamm Phillips, Chapter 1 in Sports Volunteers Around the Globe: Meaning and Understanding of Volunteering and its Societal Impact, Kirstin Hallmann, Sheranne Fairley (eds.), Springer, pp.7-20, (2019). Volunteerism is a central part of Australian society. In the sport sector, volunteers have been described as the backbone of the sport system. Sport relies heavily on volunteers – not only to stage sport events but also to deliver sport to the masses through a well-structured and formal network of community clubs and organizations. Australia’s hosting of large-scale events such as the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the 2007 FINA World Swimming Championships, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games has illuminated the value of volunteers, the reliance upon them, the skills that they contribute, the work that they undertake, and the contribution that they make to Australian society. Further, these events highlight how important engaging in volunteer roles can be to the health and well-being of those individuals. While events can be leveraged for volunteer outcomes, there is much more that can be done to capitalize on the attention that events bring to volunteers and the contribution that they make to society.
- Pioneer volunteers: the role identity of continuous volunteers at sport events, opens in a new tab, Fairley S, Green B, O’Brian D, et al., Journal of Sport and Tourism, Volume 19(3-4), pp.233-255, (2014). This study looks at the role identity of 125 volunteers during lead-up events as well as their participation in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In addition, a small sample were interviewed 12 years after the Olympics. Six themes described the experience of ‘pioneer volunteers’ (i.e. continuous volunteer participation): (1) friendship and teamwork; (2) prestige; (3) behind the scenes access and knowledge of the event; (4) learning enabled by their experience; (5) a sense of connection with and ownership of the event; and (6) transition to Games time roles. Pioneer volunteers experienced a strong and sustained identification with their role and sought out continued opportunities to volunteer in future events.
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