New research highlights wellbeing benefits of volunteering at sporting events

The research, carried out by the Centre for Health Promotion Research at Leeds Beckett, set out to review the impacts of mega-sporting event volunteering (events which bring high levels of tourism, media coverage, prestige or economic impact for the host community) and to investigate the experiences of volunteers at the 2014 Games: both clyde-siders and those who applied for a position and were not successful.

As part of the study, the researchers carried out 11 focus groups with 35 clyde-siders and 6 non-clyde-siders, in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling; as well as interviewing 11 clyde-siders and one non-clyde-sider on a one-to-one basis. They additionally consulted 56 research publications around volunteering at mega-sporting events, building a bigger picture of the motivations of volunteers, the benefits they received and the potential improvements to the recruitment process.

Professor Jane South, a national expert in volunteering, active citizenship and community health, based at Leeds Beckett, commented: “Our research showed that volunteers at mega-sporting events tend to be motivated by an interest in the sport or a desire to contribute to the event, more so than factors such as career progression. Specifically, the clyde-siders and non-clyde-siders in our study explained that the opportunity to participate in a unique and prestigious event that was unlikely to return to Scotland during their lifetime was a motivating factor to apply for the volunteer role. Many individuals had also been inspired by watching the London 2012 Olympics and the central role that the volunteers (the ‘Games Makers’) played at this event.”

There has been an increasing emphasis on the volunteer legacy of mega-sporting events. This study provided an opportunity to follow up those who had volunteered and to look broadly at impacts a year after the Games. Although the researchers found that clyde-siders felt encouraged to continue to volunteer in the future, there was no evidence in their wider research to show an actual increase in volunteering activity post-event.

Dr James Woodall, Reader in Health Promotion at Leeds Beckett and project leader, said: “Volunteering at mega-sporting events can lead to a range of individual outcomes contributing to a boost in health and wellbeing. Volunteers told us about how taking part in the Glasgow Games had been a positive experience and led to a range of benefits including growth of social networks, meeting people from different social and cultural backgrounds; increased confidence, greater awareness of other volunteering opportunities, and the development of new skills for those who were unemployed or in education which they felt would help them in applying for future jobs.”

Both clyde-siders and non-clyde-siders suggested that the reputation of Glasgow as a city had been enhanced partly by the role that the volunteers played in showcasing the city to a global audience. Some argued that this had contributed to challenging and changing pre-conceived perspectives and attitudes toward the city.

Dr Woodall said: “Alongside increased pride in the city was a greater sense of community spirit and cohesion, both during the Games and for a period of time after the Games had finished. Some participants also suggested that volunteers had contributed positively to the economic impact on the city as a result of hosting the Commonwealth Games: the positive way in which the volunteers had represented the city and made visitors welcome was expressed as being important for stimulating future tourism.”

The sense of pride and feeling part of a collective experience was felt not only by the clyde-siders working at the event but also the non-clyde-siders, who reported feeling part of the friendly atmosphere generated by hosting the Games.

Recommendations for future mega-sporting events presented in the report include providing follow-up volunteering opportunities to ensure that the health and social impacts continue for participants; understanding the importance of an identifiable uniform which gives volunteers a clear identity and sense of belonging; providing more opportunities, whether formal or informal, for people to take part and be included in these mega sporting events; and harnessing unique skills such as local knowledge and prior volunteering experience.

Image used under creative commons license and courtesy of Michel.