Volunteering in sport: the use of ratio analysis to analyse volunteering and participation

Abstract

This paper offers a more precise picture than has previously been possible of volunteers in sports clubs in relationship to club membership. It identifies the importance of non-club members as volunteers who still support the clubs, and the extent to which sports clubs provide a service for non-sports participants. This is achieved through the use of ratios relating volunteering in sports clubs to sports club membership, using data from a general population survey of Wales. Results show that women are slightly under-represented as volunteers when related to club membership, but are over-represented when one considers non-club members who volunteer to help clubs. The 35–54 age cohort is over-represented in volunteers, probably as older club members maintain a continuity of interests by moving from playing to volunteer roles, but there are not significant differences by social class. Volunteering is especially strong in traditional team sports which also provide membership opportunities for older, non-playing males. The value of ratio analysis in understanding the voluntary sector in sport, and trends in the number and type of volunteers, is demonstrated, and potential improvements are noted.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the Sports Council for Wales for the use of their data set.