Working with Volunteers in Sportis a comprehensive guide to the issues surrounding the management of volunteers in sport organizations. The contribution of volunteers at all levels - from local clubs to national governing bodies, right up to the Olympic Games - is at the heart of sport throughout the world. Yet changing policies and increasingly professionalized approaches to running sport are putting volunteer cultures at risk. Good management and a clear understanding of the way volunteers work in sport are essential to protect and develop the role of this core group of people. This text covers the key issues, including: The nature and scope of sport volunteering Sport development through volunteers Recruiting, managing and developing volunteers Specialists: coaches, officials, administrators and event volunteers Legal issues Working with Volunteers in Sportlinks theory with research to provide clear guidelines forgood volunteer management. For students, researchers and professionals working in sports management, sport development and sports policy, this book represents a valuable practical resource.

List of illustrations

viii

Preface

ix

List of abbreviations

xi

1 The role of volunteers in sustaining communities

1

(14)

The contribution of volunteers

2

(1)

Defining volunteering

3

(2)

Volunteer motivations

5

(2)

The development of volunteering

7

(1)

Social capital and civil society

8

(1)

Government policy impacts

9

(2)

Pressures on the voluntary sector

11

(2)

International trends

13

(1)

Concluding comments

14

(1)

2 Sport volunteers

15

(13)

The size and nature of the voluntary sport system

19

(2)

Volunteer participation in sport

21

(3)

Sport volunteer motivation and involvement

24

(2)

Problems and pressures for sport volunteers

26

(1)

Concluding comments

27

(1)

3 Volunteers and sport development

28

(12)

Sport development

28

(4)

Volunteer sport development roles

32

(4)

Pressures on volunteers and VSOs

36

(3)

Concluding comments

39

(1)

4 Volunteers and government policy

40

(13)

Foundations of sport policy

40

(5)

Government and sport relationship

45

(2)

Sport policies and volunteers

47

(2)

Impacts on VSOs

49

(2)

Concluding comments

51

(2)

5 Legal issues

53

(14)

The changing organizational and legal context in the sport sector

53

(2)

Role of government

55

(3)

Rights and responsibilities of VSOs

58

(1)

Rights and responsibilities of sport volunteers

59

(1)

Specific legal issues for sport volunteers and VSOs

60

(5)

Concluding comments

65

(2)

6 Structural dimensions of VSOs

67

(13)

VSOs

67

(4)

Categorizing VSOs

71

(2)

Structural issues for VSOs and NGBs

73

(3)

Implications for volunteers

76

(2)

Concluding comments

78

(2)

7 Managing sport volunteers

80

(14)

Applying HRM to sport volunteers

81

(1)

Contrasting management approaches

82

(2)

The traditional HRM paradigm

84

(6)

Volunteer commitment and satisfaction

90

(3)

Concluding comments

93

(1)

8 Volunteer sport administrators

94

(15)

Nature and scope of volunteer sport administration

94

(3)

Volunteer sport administrator roles

97

(2)

Volunteer sport administrator and VSO support programmes

99

(1)

The implications of professionalization for VSOs and volunteer administrators

100

(6)

The broader impacts of professionalization on sport

106

(2)

Concluding comments

108

(1)

9 Sports officials

109

(14)

Nature and scope of sports officiating

109

(2)

Characteristics of officials

111

(1)

Trends in sports officiating

112

(2)

The retention problem

114

(4)

Government initiatives and the role of sport NGBs

118

(2)

Match officials in the Football Association

120

(2)

Concluding comments

122

(1)

10 Volunteer coaches

123

(12)

The role and scope of volunteer sport coaching

123

(2)

Trends and issues in volunteer sport coaching

125

(4)

Coach education programmes

129

(4)

Concluding comments

133

(2)

11 Sport event volunteers

135

(11)

Sport events and volunteers

135

(2)

Sport event volunteer roles

137

(1)

Issues related to sport event volunteers

138

(3)

Working with sport event volunteers

141

(4)

Concluding comments

145

(1)

12 Future challenges in working with sport volunteers

146

(14)

Government policy and funding in relation to VSOs

147

(4)

Young volunteers

151

(1)

Volunteers and NGBs

151

(1)

Volunteers and professional staff

152

(1)

Volunteers and legal issues

153

(1)

Working with sport volunteers: refocusing on important contextual factors

154

(3)

Concluding statement

157

(3)

Bibliography

160

(16)

Index

176

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.