Empowering sport volunteers across europe

The V4V Project is an initiative aimed at transforming sport volunteering in Europe, recently celebrated its conclusion with a landmark gathering: the first-ever European Volunteering Skills Conference in Budapest, December 2023. This three-year project, led by the European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE) in partnership with twelve European organizations, developed invaluable tools and insights for both volunteers and the organizations that rely on them.

Experts from Sport Management in the Carnegie School of Sport collaborated with partners across Europe to produce a comprehensive research report on the state of sport volunteering and develop an innovative online toolkit to support sport organisations.

The report, based on interviews and survey responses from thousands of sport organisations across Europe, provides a deep look into the challenges and needs of the sport volunteering sector. The findings informed the creation of an organisational toolkit designed to guide volunteer strategy, recruitment, retention, and development. This toolkit also features an online assessment tool, enabling sport organisations to identify and enhance areas within their volunteer management practices.
 
Additionally, the project developed a second toolkit tailored for volunteers, which helps them map and document skills gained through volunteering, enhancing their employability by providing a structured record of achievements to support job applications.
 
Dr. Janine Partington, Course Leader for Postgraduate Sport Management at Leeds Beckett University, highlighted the significance of the project, stating, "Volunteers are the backbone of the sport industry, essential to all levels of sport, from grassroots to elite competition. Through their dedication, volunteers also acquire valuable skills, knowledge, and experience, which can greatly aid in career development."

The postgraduate students also worked with key partners, including World Rugby and the Sport & Recreation Alliance, to facilitate the distribution of the toolkit across various sport associations. Beyond their immediate tasks, both students completed Independent Projects (dissertations) focused on volunteer management topics, feeding their findings back into the V4V Project to refine and enhance its resources.

Further information on the project and the research report: https://www.v4v-sport.eu/

Volunteers and sport organisations can access the two toolkits via this link: https://www.v4v-sport.eu/tools