Determinants of stable volunteering in Swiss soccer clubs

Abstract

This study analysed the underlying determinants of soccer club volunteers’ tendency to continue or terminate their voluntary engagement. Stable voluntary engagement was analysed in terms of volunteers’ subjective expectations regarding club-related working conditions, expressed by level of job satisfaction and orientation of collective solidarity to their soccer club. These relationships were tested empirically using an online questionnaire with 345 volunteers in a selection of 20 Swiss soccer clubs. The results indicate that the volunteers’ job satisfaction and orientation toward collective solidarity correlated positively with their volunteering commitment. The discussion presents recommendations to help both Swiss soccer clubs as well as the Swiss Soccer Association to retain their volunteers more effectively.

Notes

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2. Breuer et al., Sport Clubs in Europe.

3. Lamprecht et al., Sportvereine in der Schweiz.

4. Ibid.

5. Lamprecht et al., Schweizer Fussballvereine.

6. Ibid.

7. Breuer et al., Sport Clubs in Europe.

8. See the summary in Wicker and Hallmann, ‘Multi-level Framework’.

9. Braun, ‘Leistungserstellung in Freiwilligen Vereinigungen’; Doherty, Volunteer Management; Nichols and Padmore, Who Are the Volunteers; Ringuet et al., Volunteers in Sport; Taylor, ‘Driving Up Participation’.

10. Cuskelly, ‘Volunteer Participation Trends’; Ringuet et al., Volunteers in Sport; Taylor et al., Sports Volunteering in England.

11. Erlinghagen, ‘Arbeitslosigkeit und Ehrenamtliche Tätigkeit’; Freeman, ‘Working for Nothing’.

12. Burgham and Downward, ‘Why Volunteer?’.

13. Erlinghagen, ‘Arbeitslosigkeit und Ehrenamtliche Tätigkeit’; Schlesinger and Nagel, ‘Who Will Volunteer?’.

14. Nichols and Padmore, Who Are the Volunteers; Ringuet et al., Volunteers in Sport.

15. Braun, ‘Leistungserstellung in Freiwilligen Vereinigungen’; Emrich et al., ‘Voluntary Engagement’; Farrell et al., ‘Volunteer Motivation’; Kim et al., ‘Comparison of Volunteer Motivations’; Strigas and Jackson, ‘Motivating Volunteers’.

16. Schlesinger et al., ‘Continue or Terminate’.

17. Finkelstein, ‘Volunteer Satisfaction’; Silverberg et al., ‘Measuring Job Satisfaction’.

18. Braun, ‘Leistungserstellung in Freiwilligen Vereinigungen’; Hallmann, ‘Modelling the Decision’.

19. Burgham and Downward, ‘Why Volunteer?’.

20. Ibid.; Nichols and Shepherd, ‘Volunteering in Sport’.

21. Behrens et al., ‘Football Clubs and Philanthropy’.

22. Emrich et al., ‘Intensity of Internet Use’.

23. Downward et al., Sports Economics.

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25. Schlesinger et al., ‘Continue or Terminate?’.

26. Emrich et al., ‘Voluntary Engagement in Sports Clubs’; Lipford and Yandle, ‘Determinants of Purposeful Voluntarism’.

27. Downward et al., Sports Economics.

28. Chelladurai, Human Resource Management; Chelladurai and Ogasawara, ‘Satisfaction and Commitment’.

29. Farrell et al., ‘Volunteer Motivation’; Finkelstein, ‘Volunteer Satisfaction’.

30. Kim et al., ‘Model of Volunteer Retention’; Schlesinger et al., ‘Continue or Terminate?’; Silverberg et al., ‘Measuring Job Satisfaction’.

31. Coleman, Power and Structure.

32. Fehr and Gächter, ‘Fairness and Retaliation’; Blau, Exchange and Power.

33. Emrich et al., ‘Voluntary Engagement in Sports Clubs’; Schlesinger and Nagel, ‘Volunteering in Sports Clubs’.

34. Nagel, Sportvereine im Wandel; Schlesinger and Nagel, ‘Volunteering in Sports Clubs’.

35. Schlesinger et al., ‘Continue or Terminate?’.

36. Braun, ‘Leistungserstellung in Freiwilligen Vereinigungen’; Schlesinger et al., ‘Continue or Terminate?’.

37. Schlesinger and Nagel, ‘Volunteering in Sports Clubs’.

38. Lamprecht et al., Schweizer Fussballvereine.

39. Ibid.

40. Ibid.

41. Galindo-Kuhn and Guzley, ‘Volunteer Satisfaction Index’.

42. Chelladurai, Human Resource Management.

43. Erlinghagen, ‘Individuellen Erträge Chrenamtlicher Arbeit’.

44. Harvey et al., ‘Sport Volunteerism and Social Capital’.

45. Gidron, ‘Sources of Job Satisfaction’.

46. Horch, ‘Personalwirtschaftliche Aspekte’.

47. Schlesinger et al., ‘Continue or Terminate?’.

48. Cuskelly and Boag, ‘Organisational Commitment as Predictor’; Engelberg et al., ‘Defining and Measuring Dimensionality’.

49. Braun, ‘Leistungserstellung in Freiwilligen Vereinigungen’; Nagel, Sportvereine im Wandel.

50. Backhaus et al., Multivariate Analysemethoden.

51. Kromrey, Empirische Sozialforschung.

52. Kim, ‘Model of Volunteer Retention’; Schlesinger et al., ‘Continue or Terminate?’; Silverberg et al., ‘Measuring Job Satisfaction’.

53. Schlesinger and Nagel, ‘Volunteering in Sports Clubs’.

54. Nichols and James, ‘One Size Does Not’; Schulz et al., ‘Issues in Management’.