To ensure people who are engaged in sport and physical activity have the best possible experience, the workforce must be recruited, developed and supported in the right way.
A volunteer makes all the difference. We know through our research that volunteering benefits both the volunteer and the person receiving the support, with it positively linked with mental wellbeing and both individual and community development. So whether it’s serving refreshments, coaching a player or assisting disabled people to take part, the sport and physical activity sector needs people to give their time.
Our vision for Volunteering in an Active Nation is as relevant for volunteers as for those taking part in sport and physical activity. We want everyone in England regardless of age, background or level of ability to feel able to take part.
We’re working together with community organisations, sports clubs, local authorities and volunteer groups to:
Download our Volunteering strategy by clicking on the link below.
By investing in volunteering, measuring the benefits (to volunteers as well as the community), and using the knowledge we gain to create a more rewarding volunteering experience, we’ll be able to tap into even more of the country’s vast volunteering potential. Click here to read more about our Uniting the Movement strategy.
In November 2016 we launched our Coaching in an Active Nation plan, which is designed to support coaches who work with people who already have a regular sporting habit, as well as those taking their first steps to becoming more physically active.
Currently, coaching largely supports the people who already have a regular sporting habit. These people are important, and improving their experience is key. But for the first time, we also want to unleash the power of coaching for everyone taking their first steps to becoming more physically active, so that they too can benefit from the support that good coaches provide.
We know that the professional workforce - paid professionals who are employed or self-employed either full-time or part-time - has a major role to play in delivering the aspirations and targets of our Uniting the Movement strategy.
To help support the key factors highlighted in the government’s Sporting Future strategy, we’ve developed a plan to give the more than 400,000 people who work in the sport and physical activity sector in England the best possible support.
Working in an Active Nation’s vision is that everyone working in sport and activity feels confident, valued and supported. This strengthening of the workforce would make it more able to give the best possible experience for the people who are – or who want to be – active.
Read more about these objectives and the way they’ll be achieved by reading our professional workforce page.
The Spotlight on Active Lives series lifts the lid on the results of our Acitve Lives Adult Survey.
Our Spotlight on Volunteering and Lower Socio-Economic Groups report explores in greater detail some of the complex elements that make up people’s lives and influence their likelihood to volunteer in sport and physical activity.
The report highlights how these play out for those in different socio-economic groups, with a particular focus on the impact of locality, working status and the range of volunteer roles.
Amongst its key findings, the report details how:
To read more from the report, click on the link below.
Our Spotlight on Volunteering and Gender report looks at the gender profile in sport and physical activity volunteering, and the trend for women to be under-represented across the different volunteering roles. The report looks specifically at three life stages (students, families and retired adults) to help understand what might be driving this trend.
Over the course of 2020 we worked to pull together a comprehensive volunteering in sport insight guide, compiling the evidence from a range of sources, including from our first ‘test and learn’ volunteering strategy.
The guide aims to equip organisations with research allowing them to think strategically about their approach to developing volunteering in the sport and physical activity sector.
It covers four key areas where insight and learnings can support immediate recovery and the long-term validity of volunteer programmes. These are:
The evidence used in the guide was compiled pre-coronavirus, and whilst we recognise there’s further work to be done to fully understand the impact of the pandemic, the validity of this research remains and the learnings are important as community sport recovers.
We commissioned Jump, an organisation that pioneers behaviour change and impact analysis in sports and volunteering, to carry out a study on how people volunteer over the course of their lives, and the factors that cause them to leave their volunteering roles.
The downloadable report compares across age groups between sport and general volunteers to identify common participation barriers, motivations and characteristics.
We commissioned the Sport Industry Research Centre to understand the current challenges and opportunities that clubs face in relation to sports club volunteers in England. The research was commissioned to develop new insight into sports club volunteers and the issues affecting them, in particular around volunteer management and strategic planning.
In 2016, we commissioned academics from the University of Sheffield, University of Kent and Victoria University, Australia to carry out a report looking into the motivations of sports volunteers in England. Combining findings of commercial reports and academic research, the review is a useful resource for anyone in the planning, management and delivery of sports volunteering projects.
The Major Event Volunteer Fund fund focused on supporting volunteering and ensuring those who give their time to support major events could continue to gain from the benefits we know volunteering can provide.
We wanted to help national governing bodies, event hosts and other organisations make it easier and more attractive for volunteers to continue their volunteering experience in sport at a community level.
The fund is now closed, but the research and insight we provided to applicants is still applicable now.
The restrictions to combat the coronavirus pandemic created a unique context for sports volunteers and organisations.
This research, conducted by Bayfirth for Sport England, was designed to identify the challenges and opportunities for volunteers, community and national sports organisations during the pandemic and to analyse innovative responses.
Below you can find summary and full reports, as well as eight case studies looking at specific examples of innovation.
Volunteer innovation during the pandemic - summary report
Download the file - 169.22 KB
See more
Volunteer innovation during the pandemic - case study 1
Download the file - 161.26 KB
Volunteer innovation during the pandemic - case study 2
Download the file - 154.67 KB
Volunteer innovation during the pandemic - case study 3
Download the file - 101.68 KB
Volunteer innovation during the pandemic - case study 4
Download the file - 200.02 KB
Volunteer innovation during the pandemic - case study 5
Download the file - 158.47 KB
Volunteer innovation during the pandemic - case study 6
Download the file - 196.5 KB
Volunteer innovation during the pandemic - case study 7
Download the file - 173.52 KB
Volunteer innovation during the pandemic - case study 8
Download the file - 150.69 KB
Volunteer innovation during the pandemic - full report
Download the file - 309.81 KB
According to UK Coaching figures, more than three million people give up their time every year to coach in sport and physical activity, with more than nine million people receiving that coaching.
The figures show that women are significantly less likely to become a coach compared to men, while 65% of those who do coach are in the ABC1 social grade. In addition, just 22% of coaches are Black, Asian or minority ethnic, which further highlights the need to open up coaching to people from a wider range of backgrounds.
The UK Coaching National Population Survey report presents findings from a study commissioned by UK Coaching to explore public opinion of coaches and coaching, build a demographic profile of coaches and investigate coaches’ activities and perceptions.
It found that 6% of UK adults have coached within the last 12 months and while coaches are a diverse group, they’re more likely than the UK population overall to be male, aged 18-24, of a minority ethnic group and from a higher social grade.
Drawing from our research, we recommend the following:
To improve, diversify and increase opportunities within the coaching workforce, we recommend the following:
In 2020 our Workforce Diversity Fund gave a share of £1 million to 16 projects that aimed to get more women and people from ethnically diverse communities into coaching and volunteering.
This report provides ideas, tips and examples of how to increase the diversity of the voluntary and paid workforce that's helping peopl to be more physically active.
It's based on the experiences and learning of organisations who benefitted from the fund and is designed to be an easy-to-read, and understand, practical guide for community groups, sports clubs and other organisations involved in all types of physical activity.
The guide aims to help organisations improve the understanding of their workforce, learn about areas relevant to their needs to inform future delivery and improvements, and provide evidence to advocate for the role and value of the workforce in organisations and more widely in the sector. We've developed the guidance so that it can be used by a diverse range of organisations and can be used flexibly to focus on areas that organisations would find most useful.
Our Volunteering Insight Guide was put together to support those applying for one of our two volunteering funds. Though the window for funding applications has now passed, the guide remains a valuable resource for people who work with volunteers thanks to its insights on volunteering in sport and youth social action.
Our volunteering project evaluation toolkit is here to help guide organisations on how you can evaluate a volunteering project, as well as understanding how it benefits volunteers and the wider community. This toolkit can help you identify what works well and provide learnings that can help you to inform, refine and improve future volunteering projects.
Running your own volunteer survey is the best way to understand who your volunteers are, their motivations and their experience volunteering in your organisation. With this information, you’ll be able to give your volunteers the best possible experience, increase the likelihood they’ll continue volunteering, and improve recruitment of future volunteers. To help you with this, we’ve collected advice to help you run the best possible survey, as well as a selection of sample survey questions.
In 2017 we announced 32 projects that would receive funding as part of two volunteering funds - the Opportunity Fund and the Potentials Fund. In early 2020 we published the interim report showing our findings to date from the projects - looking at what has worked, what hasn't, and how this information can be used to inform future investments. In mid-2021 we published a second report, evaluating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and how volunteers have adapted to meet the challenges posed by the subsequent restrictions.
Research shows that people who volunteer have higher self-esteem and emotional wellbeing, and it can be a great way to acquire new skills or to meet new people. To achieve these benefits, organisations must provide meaningful volunteering opportunities that offer individuals engaging, rewarding and enjoyable experiences. So we produced this guide to help community organisation make a volunteer's experience meaningful.
Our Volunteering Q&A has guidance around volunteering for organisations and projects. The comprehensive question and answer section includes explanations on everything from how to develop a volunteering strategy to getting the most out of your volunteers.
UK Coaching’s mission is to put coaching at the heart of physical activity and sport. It specialises in developing inspiring coaches to bring the transformative power of coaching to communities across the UK. In England, they support national governing bodies of sport and Active Partnerships, as well as many other organisations across the sport and physical activity landscape. Click on the link below to find out more.
Buddle is our website for clubs, groups and organisations involved in the delivery of physical activity and sport. It has free, practical resources to help organisations to develop, grow and become more sustainable and successful. This includes resources and guidance designed to help you attract, develop and keep your existing coaches, members and volunteers.
To ensure people who are engaged in sport and physical activity have the best possible experience, the workforce must be recruited, developed and supported in the right way.
Our vision for sports clubs is to help them create great experiences for all in high quality, safe and sustainable environments.
Our Active Lives surveys measure the physical activity levels of adults and children and young people across England, providing a wealth of data.
You can find out exactly how we'll look after your personal data, but rest assured we’ll only use it to make sure you receive our newsletter, to understand how you interact with our newsletter, and to provide administrative information about our newsletter.