Managing sport volunteers

It is widely accepted in many sport systems that volunteers are integral to the development, management and operation of VSOs and many sport events. It is through the efforts of volunteers in VSOs that a large proportion of programmes, activities, services and events are delivered to athletes, spectators, club members and the wider community. VSOs have a democratic decision-making structure, where members decide at the annual general assembly who is elected as board members. This ensures, at least in principle, that the board works to serve the interests of (the majority of) its members. The purpose of this chapter is to understand the scope and roles of sport volunteering and VSOs, and consider the pressures faced by VSOs. The chapter then examines – and critically discusses – how a human resource management (HRM) approach can be applied to the management of sport volunteers in order to help VSOs facilitate volunteer recruitment and retention.