Play your Part in Sport!
- Sept 21st, 2015
- Camilla Chapman
Did you know that sport is the second largest volunteer sector in 2014? We take a look at the impact volunteering has on sport, and how you can get involved!
In a recent study conducted by Sheffield Hallam University, the impact of 39 national governing bodies in the UK (NGBs) were researched and rounded together in the State of Play report. These governing bodies will led the NGB CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Forum, who will act as an "independent voice to influence and inform national and local policy on sport," as well as raising awareness on the importance of volunteers.
Led by Professor Simon Shibli, the report concluded that in 2014, nearly 2 million volunteers worked in total for the 39 governing bodies, which is staggeringly larger than the entire National Health Service (NHS) workplace. Combine this number with the total cost if volunteers were replaced with paid labour, and you'd be looking at an eye-watering £4.9 billion in the value of contribution per year.
The report also showed that in the lead up to the recent General Election, the 39 NGBs have around 1.8m belonging to sports clubs, 1 million more members compared to the combined total of all the political parties in the UK. With the sports sector 'beating' politics in this area, the State of Play report demonstrates the impact of the NGBs to deliver sport, with also over 1,000 medals having been won between 2009 and 2014 in events such as the Olympics and World Championships.
However, sport relies on volunteers; this can be anything from helping at a big national event, to helping run a local grassroots club in your own time. A number of the national governing bodies run volunteering programmes - such as England Netball and England Hockey - who are keen to recognize and reward hard work as a volunteer, whether it's as a coach or an event volunteer. Many clubs around the country, mainly at the grassroots level of any sport, rely on volunteers giving up their spare time to help a club continue to run, as well as helping run big, elite events smoothly!
The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics was a big success, particularly with the impact of the volunteers. 70,000 people became 'Gamesmakers', who helped run every aspect of the Games, from transportation to working at the different venues. The volunteers receive praise from all over the World for their part and it could be argued that many Gamesmakers have gone on to volunteer in other areas of sports. The London 2012 volunteers have left a lasting legacy, and could be key to the rise of the sports sector.
Would you like to take part in volunteering in sport? Contact your national governing body for more information on their volunteering programs, or you can contact your local clubs to see if they need any help! Here at Sportplan, you can help you as a volunteer coach, with our drills and highly-rated sessions for all different kinds of sport. Get started volunteering today!
Take a look at this video of Simon Shibli, who led this report