Thrive with support
Sport and volunteering are interlinked. In the community sport sector we know that volunteers ensure the activities of every sport of any size and at all levels go ahead, are well run, and are safe, accessible and inclusive. Volunteers come out in huge numbers in all weathers and at all hours to ensure sport activities take place. It is our volunteers who allow sport to form a critical part of the fabric of our communities.
Sport Volunteer Project
We have partnered with Vicsport and Regional Sport Victoria to create sporting club focused resources. These resources aim to support and assist local and community sporting clubs in their strategies and practices around volunteers.
- Accessible, easy to implement resources
Volunteering covers many roles and areas of expertise, and planning and support are critical elements in any successful volunteering program. Recognising this, our sport-specific resources are broken into key topic areas with simple, accessible information for you to access and apply.
Where to start
- Access our introductory factsheet for details about the resources and tools we offer
- Click part of the Action Cycle below, outlining the steps to engaging with volunteers
Using these tools
Being in sport at any level means you are busy. You’ll have multiple competing priorities, you’ll be great at juggling tasks, and you’ll likely feel time poor.
Having a great volunteer program will help you and your sport to thrive, so we’ve broken the process into simpler steps so that you can access only what you need, when you need it.
We encourage you to take the following steps:
- Review all 6 stages of the Sport Volunteer Action Cycle
- Identify your strengths and any of your gaps in each of those stages
- Prioritise the stage or stages you need to focus on
- Go for it, using the fact sheets, videos and resources for that stage
Proudly supported by:
- Plan how to meet your volunteer needs, from governance to game day
- Ensure a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment
- Create positions with reasonable time commitments that volunteers can achieve successfully
- Recruit both inside and outside your sport, and consider specialist volunteer recruiting
- Promote volunteering opportunities widely to attract new volunteers and represent the diversity of your local community
- Select fairly and consistently
- Create selection requirements that are role specific
- Create game day / event minimum selection requirements
- Create broader selection requirements for administration and coaching roles
- Plan standard inductions for all volunteer roles
- Create inductions that can be re-used rather than re-created each time volunteers commence
- Create simplified game day / event orientation processes
- Plan more detailed orientation for administrator and coaching roles
- Create a structured and supportive environment to encourage volunteers to keep coming back
- Provide opportunities for feedback, which can improve volunteer experience
Additional resources:
Video: Supporting through change
- Recognition makes volunteers feel valued, valuable and wanted
- Access a range of simple ideas you can implement with ease
- Retain the volunteers who join your club by creating a great environment for them
