Factors influencing participation
Different people will volunteer, or not, for various personal or societal reasons that will change across their individual life course. 1, 2
The term 'volunteering' covers a diverse range of activities and includes formal volunteering (which takes place within organisations in a structured way), informal volunteering (self-directed acts, outside of a formal organisation), and online volunteering, which may be formal or informal. Volunteering may be private or corporate (organised or endorsed by a person's workplace), regular, or singular, e.g., at sports events. 1, 3, 4, 5, 34
Participant experience research can help clubs and organisations understand the attributes of broad categories of people and how different types of participants (both existing and potential) can be encouraged to start, continue, or increase their volunteering. Examples of these types of studies include the Australian Sports Commission’s 2014 ‘Market Segmentation for Sport’ research and the Archetypes included in the 2021 ‘Future of sport volunteering’ report. 2, 6, 7
Motivators
Motivations for all volunteers (not specific to sport) 8
- Personal satisfaction / to do something worthwhile
- Help others / community
- Personal / family involvement
- Social contact
- To be active
- Use skills / experience
- To learn new skills / gain work experience
- Religious beliefs
- Just happened
- Felt obliged

Facilitators and Barriers
Australian and international research and reports have identified multiple factors that can facilitate or provide barriers to volunteering in sport.
Facilitators
What encourages individuals to volunteer in sport.Barriers
What holds individuals back from volunteering in sport.Further resources and reading
Dive deeper into the research on what supports and limits volunteering in sport.
Factors that Impact
Understanding the potential barriers and facilitators to participation in specific contexts can help to grow the number of volunteers who engage and participate regularly in sport. This has flow on effects for the long-term sustainability of individual sports, organisations, and the sport sector more broadly. 6
Although what motivates people to volunteer for sport will be influenced by each person’s unique individual, cultural, and social factors, there are some general factors that may have a high impact on volunteer participation. 10, 22, 32
Affiliation
Many sports volunteers have a strong personal connection to the sport, often being players or parents of players.Age
Age can have a significant effect on the motivations, facilitators, and barriers to volunteering.Culture
Increasing the diversity of volunteers in sport can have positive benefits for sports organisations, communities, and individuals.Investment
A lack of flexibility, personal expenses, and administrative demands may discourage volunteers.Location
Volunteer participation can vary based on geographical location.Other population groups
Everyone in the community should have the opportunity to be involved in sport regardless of their individual characteristics.
REFERENCES
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- A systematic review of motivation of sport event volunteers, opens in a new tab, Kim, Eunjung, World Leisure Journal, Volume 60(4), pp.306-329, (2018).
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- Corporate volunteering: Implications for policy and practice, opens in a new tab, Debbie Haski-Leventhal, Volunteering Australia, (September 2022).
- Market Segmentation Study for Volunteers, Australian Sports Commission, (2014).
- The future of sport volunteering, Australian Sports Commission, (April 2021).
- General Social Survey, opens in a new tab, Australian Bureau of Statistics, (June 2021), latest release.
- Understanding volunteer motivations and concerns in coaching and officiating basketball: implications for sport policy, opens in a new tab, Meghan Casey, Jack Harvey, Melanie Charity, et al., BMC Public Health, Volume 23, article 946, (May 2023).
- Individual and contextual determinants of stable volunteering in sport clubs, opens in a new tab, Torsten Schlesinger, Siegfried Nagel, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Volume 53(1), pp.101-121, (2018).
- Givers: Recruit, manage and retain your volunteers more effectively, opens in a new tab, Join in, Sport + Recreation Alliance, Simetrica, (April 2017).
- Market Segmentation for Sport Participation – Volunteers 2012-13 Research Report (2013), Victoria Parr, Tabitha Lucas, Marcail Arbuthnot, Latitude Insights for the Australian Sports Commission, (July 2013).
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See more on this topic:
- Overview
- Benefits of Sport
- Factors influencing participation
- Volunteer management
- Policies, programs, and supporting structures
- Awards and recognition
Is this information complete? The Clearinghouse for Sport is a sector-wide knowledge sharing initiative, and as such your contributions are encouraged and appreciated. If you would like to suggest a resource, submit a publication, or provide feedback on this topic, please contact us.