Voluntary Sport Research Articles

Determinants of pro-environmental behavior among voluntary sport club members

Environmental sustainability and climate change have become increasingly important in public debates and politics. This study examines the determinants of sport club members’ pro-environmental behavior in Germany. Theoretically, we draw on the theory of planned behavior, ecofeminism, and the luxury good hypothesis to explain the effects of individuals’ environmental consciousness, gender, and income on their pro-environmental behavior, respectively. Data collection took place in 2019 and 2020 via a nationwide online survey of active sport club members in five team/racket sports (n = 3038). Regression analyses were estimated to examine the determinants of two indicators of pro-environmental behavior, i.e., the monthly carbon footprint resulting from traveling to training sessions and pro-environmental actions. The results reveal that environmentally consciousness members behave more environmentally friendly, supporting the theory of planned behavior. Women have a significantly higher carbon footprint, but only in the model including the interaction with environmental consciousness, indicating that female gender only works in conjunction with environmental attitudes. Income is associated with a significantly higher carbon footprint for training, while it has no effect on pro-environmental actions related to club sport. The findings have implications for sport managers and policy makers.

Post-game volunteering practices of Russian Olympic and sports volunteers: COVID context

Post-game volunteering practices of Russian Olympic and sports volunteers: COVID context

TRENDS IN SPORTS VOLUNTEERING RESEARCH: A MANAGEMENT ASPECT

Sports volunteering as a social phenomenon attracts the attention of the world’s leading researchers in the field of sociology, psychology, and economics. Despite the large number of publications, research interest in the problems of sports volunteers is manifested periodically and, as a rule, precedes any specific sports event of an international or national level. The holding of the largest international competitions on the territory of Russia and the state interest in volunteering will determine the need for national and comparative research in the field of sports volunteering and the management of this type of activity. The aim of the work is to determine the place of sports volunteering in modern research on the basis of bibliometric analysis of publication data. The empirical research was carried out on the basis of the Scopus database in three stages: selection of documents by keywords, introduction of time frames (2005-2020) and selection of publications corresponding to the types of “article” and “scientific review”. The final sample consisted of 329 documents, which were analyzed in detail in the VOSviewer program (version 1.6.15). The authors identify the leaders of this research direction among specific organizations and countries. We analyzed the most cited publications on the topic of sports volunteering in the context of management. The authors identified thematic areas and their chronology in research, building a mental map of the most common terms. The results obtained make it possible to determine the degree of study of the phenomenon under consideration, to identify problem areas and promising directions in the study of sports volunteering. The problematic field of sports volunteering research is analyzed in the article from the managerial aspect. This formulation of the problem makes it possible to evaluate the scientific discourse of sports volunteering management at different levels: from interaction in a separate organization to the analysis of the practices of international and national management of the organization of sports events.

Motivation and satisfaction in university sports volunteering

The aim of this study is to determine the motivation of the university sports volunteer by comparing the results according to gender and previous experience, as well as to observe which motivation factor has the greatest influence on satisfaction with the specific motivations of the volunteer. The study was cross-sectional by questionnaire, with 128 university volunteers interviewed who participated in a sports volunteering programme. The instruments used were a sample of 128 university volunteers who were given the VFI and another to assess satisfaction. The questionnaire was conducted online. The results show that both men and women feel motivated in the dimensions of Understanding, Values and Enhancement, obtaining above-average results in these motivational profiles. According to experience, volunteers with more experience had higher scores. Satisfaction with motivation can be predicted by enhancement, understanding and protective. The results of this study will help to deepen the motivational profile of volunteering in the sports and university context. It will also allow organizations to better manage volunteering - and to improve the quality of life of their employees. Universities are an important volunteer base, not only social but also more and more in sports, making it necessary to evaluate the motivational profile and satisfaction of this potential group to be a volunteer once their academic stage is over.

Experiences That Matter: Membership Involvement of Young Adult Members in Voluntary Sports Clubs in the Netherlands

Many young people in the Netherlands participate in voluntary sports clubs (VSCs) but stop once they become adults. VSCs lack the ability to transition their youth members to adult members, which threatens the size of the clubs in terms of membership, the income, and the availability of volunteers. This research aims to identify experiences of young adult members that contribute to membership involvement (MI) and intentions to support the club and continue membership (membership commitment). A mixed-method approach consisting of a qualitative and a quantitative study was used. The results showed that young adult members elaborate on a wide range of experiences that predicts MI at four stages of membership. These experiences can be classified into the pleasure when participating in sports (enjoyment), the service and support within the club (care), and the social connectedness among the members (closeness). Moreover, the results revealed that MI performs as a mediator for membership commitment. The conclusion indicates that experiences of young adult members are integrated system, one cannot do without the other. This integrative system of experiences determines membership involvement in all stages of membership, from less than one year to long-term memberships. For clubs it is important to address these experiences because MI is important for the development of membership commitment - loyal and supportive young adult members.

Voluntary sports society “Trud”: history, organizational and content aspects

Voluntary sports society “Trud”: history, organizational and content aspects

Organizational Identity Development in Sport Volunteers

Volunteers provide essential services to community sport organizations; thus, it is important to understand the underlying factors in successful volunteer–organization relationships. Organizational identification, an integral component of relationship building for members in an organization, is a useful yet underutilized concept to understand how and why volunteers create lasting, deep relationships with sport organizations. This research utilizes a sequential mixed-method design to examine the evolution of organizational identification among volunteers in a community sport organization. The survey results indicate that new volunteers formed their organizational identification over the course of a single program season, such that, by the end of the season, they were similar to returners. Subsequent qualitative analysis of focus group data indicated that the content and evolution of organizational identities varied for newcomers and returners. These results provide important contributions related to the ongoing nature of identity work of volunteers and offer practical implications for volunteer management within community sport organizations.

Smeerolie en/of lijm?

Lubricant and/or glue? The role of social network sites in voluntary sports clubs Although almost every voluntary sports club (VSC) in the Netherlands facilitates one or more social network sites (SNSs), the impact on attitude and behaviour of members is under researched. Our study aims to examine whether members’ use of organizational social network sites of their sports clubs (ClubSNS use) is a mediating factor for (1) supporting the sports club, and (2) continuing membership. Building on research among runners, we conducted a conceptual replication study of Mahan III, Seo, Jordan and Funk (2015). Results from a survey among members of voluntary sports clubs (n = 1009) revealed that ClubSNS use was a mediator to supportive and loyal membership. This research demonstrates the theoretical potential of organizational SNSs for activating and retaining members. Furthermore, practical implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Conceptualising landscapes of learning in the United Kingdom’s volunteer football sector

ABSTRACT From grassroots to mega-event level, the sport sector has long-relied on volunteers to function effectively. While the nature of sport volunteering varies, scholars have identified that volunteerism is built around characteristics (e.g. altruism, civic participation, acquisition of social capital, personal and professional development) that draw individuals together and contribute to a sense of community. In providing sites for life-skills training, mentoring, coaching, and/or leadership, volunteer communities in sport are also informal and formal learning environments. Notwithstanding research examining learning opportunities within individual volunteer experiences, work remains on articulating the ideological, structural and experiential complexities of volunteering as pedagogical terrain. To illuminate some of these educational nuances, this paper interrogates the experiences of a cohort of regional football volunteers in the United Kingdom. Drawing on spatial theory, we utilise a holistic framework comprising thought, production and action space to understand volunteer communities and opportunities for learning therein. We draw data from questionnaires, and focus groups undertaken with volunteers working in one of the UK’s largest provinces. We contend that football volunteerism comprises a potentially rich context in which an array of learning opportunities exist that can be nurtured and enacted upon over volunteers’ life courses. Educational characteristics of volunteering, or the creation of effective learning communities in the sector are not, however, always guaranteed. Rather, individual and collective investments may be required by both volunteers and supporting organisations. Furthering recent criticisms of the wider sport sector, and beyond affording greater appreciation of volunteer learning, we advocate for a rethink of organisation’s ethical responsibilities and resourcing vis-à-vis educational duties of care and sustainability.

Sport and physical activity habits, behaviours and barriers to participation in university students: an exploration by socio-economic group

ABSTRACT There is some evidence that people from lower socio-economic groups (SEGs) are more likely to be either inactive or less active than those from higher SEGs. Currently, there is little evidence to indicate whether this trend is the same for the student population. This study aims to provide this insight to understand the habits and behaviours of university students in sport and physical activity whilst gaining an understanding of barriers to student participation. A mixed methods approach was employed, including an online survey of 729 students from 20 different UK universities, plus qualitative research at one university which included 27 semi-structured interviews with students, four semi-structured interviews with university staff, and a focus group with student sports volunteers. This paper supports previous findings around participation in sport and physical activity amongst different SEGs, finding that students from low SEGs were less active than those from higher SEGs. Key barriers preventing both groups participating in sport and physical activity included time (mainly due to academic commitments), cost and a lack of confidence, alongside some university-specific factors. A greater number of commuter students were in the low SEGs which also influenced behaviour in relation to sport and physical activity participation. Additionally, the research found that students that did not participate in sport and physical activity before university were also less likely to participate once they began university, and this was an important factor regardless of SEG. The paper provides some considerations and implications for both further research in this area and the design of interventions to engage and sustain participation in university students.

A brief literature review of the psychological benefits of volunteerism in watersports inclusion.

The 2009 National Guidelines on Physical Activity for Ireland assert that 'all people with disabilities should be active'. Events such as the Watersports Inclusion Games invite individuals across the full spectrum of abilities to take part in physical activity in the form of adaptive watersports. This literature review aims to assess the value of inclusive watersport events such as this in the context of what is currently published on the motivation and benefits for volunteers in watersports inclusion. This is the first review that we are aware of on this subject. A literature review was performed using the Population, Exposures and Outcomes framework. Medical and psychological databases, journals and grey literature were searched using keywords, and articles were selected according to their relevance to the question. References from these articles were then hand-searched. The outcomes of this review suggest that, while there are many papers published on the benefits for volunteers in general and in sport, there is a relative paucity of literature on volunteers in inclusive sport, and even less relating to inclusive watersports. This review identifies a powerful opportunity to provide evidence to support the benefits of inclusive watersport for both participants and volunteers. Further research is required on why volunteers become involved in inclusive watersports and the benefits they derive from their involvement.

Beliefs of Greek sport volunteers about their competencies in volunteering

In volunteering, the keyword is “donation”, and the historical evolution of volunteering is directly linked to “selfless charity”. Sport is largely based on volunteering. This paper extends knowledge of the nature of sport volunteering by exploring the perspectives of sport volunteers based on self-reported questionnaires. The sample involved 192 volunteers and 6 volunteers’ coordinators from both public and private sport organizations in Thessaloniki, a city in northern Greece. A 42-item self-reported questionnaire was administered to measure participants’ perspectives on their competencies in the volunteering field. The internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) for the perspectives on volunteering scale from volunteers and volunteers’ coordinators was high (a = .96). Regarding the evaluation of participants’ beliefs about their competencies in volunteering, results showed that they had a positive perspective. The results of the analyses demonstrated no significant differences between males and females in their beliefs about competencies in volunteering. In addition, the analyses showed no significant differences in participants’ beliefs about their competencies between the type of involvement (volunteer vs volunteer coordinator) and years of involvement. On the other hand, the results showed statistically significant differences in participants’ beliefs based on their educational level and their role in the sport organizations. The findings of the present study provide valuable information on the beliefs about competencies in volunteering that sport organisations can use to empower volunteers and make them more effective in offering their services in sport organizations.

The utility of certification for managing the state-voluntary sport club relationship: an agency theory perspective

ABSTRACT Rationale/Purpose: Certification is an institutional mechanism that may, indirectly, have utility for managing the challenges that are likely to be present when the state and voluntary sport clubs (VSCs) connect for sport development. Design/Methodology/Approach: A hermeneutic-dialectic approach guides the adoption of agency theory to conceptualize the state as principal and VSCs as its agents, and to consider agency problems of information asymmetry and divergent interests. Findings: The potential for VSC certification to counter agency problems through harmonization of interests, VSC signaling and reporting of quality and professionalization, state screening and monitoring, and confidence-building through quality assurances, are discussed. Practical Implications: The challenges of certification further inform implications for its indirect application for effectively managing the VSC-state relationship. Research Contribution: The paper advances the limited consideration of both VSC certification and agency theory in the sport literature, combining them for new insights into the potential role of certification for government and community sport relations.

Digitalization in organized sport – usage of digital instruments in voluntary sports clubs depending on club's goals and organizational capacity

PurposeThe intention of this paper is to identify the scope and purpose of the use of digital tools in voluntary sports clubs (VSCs) and to identify club-specific factors that influence their usage behavior.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted among VSCs in Austria and in Germany (n = 787). To answer the key questions, patterns of digital use in VSCs were analyzed in relation to the overall organizational goals and organizational capacity. In addition to the description of the clubs' usage behavior patterns, a multiple linear regression model (blockwise) and quantile regression models were estimated.FindingsThe descriptive results show that digital instruments are most used in the areas of “internal/external communication” (93.7%) and “to report membership data to federations” (82.1%). The OLS and quantile regression models indicate that user behavior is primarily influenced by the following factors: the goals of “commitment/success in competitive sports” and “cooperation with other institutions”; the organizational factors “digital processes do not fit with our club culture”, “proportion of volunteers with administrative tasks”, “we do not yet have a clear digitalization strategy for our club” and “lack of financial resources for necessary IT investments”.Originality/valueDigital technologies appear to be promising for organizational development in VSCs. However, what the usage behavior of digital instruments in VSCs currently is, and by which factors this usage is influenced, has not been the focus of empirical analysis yet. The study provides initial insights into the understanding of digitalization in VSCs that can be used for consulting and ongoing research.

Commitment, resistance and indifference toward diversity amongst community cricket volunteers

Individual commitment to diversity and its link to organizational commitment and change amongst community sport volunteers, is a key debate in the scholarship of sport (Cunningham 2008; Spaaij 2011; Spaaij et al. 2013; Spaaij, Magee, and Jeanes 2014; Melton and Cunningham 2014; Jeanes et al. 2018). Yet details about driving factors and processes which influence volunteer commitment to diversity are relatively unknown (Storr et al. 2020). This article critically examines the attitudinal commitment of volunteers engaging with participants who have intellectual disabilities. Extending the work of Herscovitch and Meyer (2002), the author analyses the attitudinal commitment of 21 volunteers in a community cricket club in Victoria, Australia. Approximately half of the sample showed a mind-set committed to diversity, with the remainder holding indifferent or resistant attitudes. The author concludes that by identifying resistant or indifferent attitudes, clubs can improve inclusion practices amongst volunteers. By changing organizational structures, the link between individual volunteer and whole of organization commitment to diversity can be strengthened, guaranteeing better participation outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities.

Shifting dominant logics? The organisational field of Finnish sport clubs in the 2010s

This research, which draws upon the new institutionalist approach, investigates the changing dominant logics of voluntary sport clubs in Finland. Data were collected by conducting 41 semi-structured expert interviews with sport clubs and obtaining club documents. Results reveal a widening range of roles, networks, and participant pathways, as well as an increasingly formalised operation and diversified language-use. As a result, many clubs have experienced challenges in maintaining their legitimacy when operating in new domains that diverge from their traditional operations. The findings reflect growing expectations placed upon sport clubs and their shifting roles across the public, private and third sectors. Further, it is argued that understanding the logics of all three sectors have become necessary in order for sport clubs to run successfully. The findings will be of interest to federations, institutes providing tertiary education, as well as to clubs that are in the process of refining their profile.

자발적 스포츠 활동 참여 중·고등학생의 운동자기도식이 자기효능감, 운동정서, 운동지속의도에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise self-schema on self-efficacy, exercise emotion, and exercise adherence intention in middle and high school students participating in voluntary sports activities. Convenience sampling was used to select 306 students, and questionnaires were used as survey tool. The data was analyzed through t-test verification and multiple regression analysis using the statistical program SPSS 23.0. The results are as follows: First, exercise self-schema has had a significant effect on self-efficacy. Second, exercise self-schema(cognitive and emotional/ behavior) has had a significant effect on positive exercise emotion, and behavior self-schema has had a significant effect on negative exercise emotion. Third, self-efficacy has had a significant effect on exercise adherence intention. Forth, positive exercise emotion has had a significant effect on exercise adherence intention. Fifth, exercise self-schema has had a significant effect on exercise adherence intention.

The relevance of migration background for volunteer engagement in organised sport

The article deals with the question of whether and in what respect the migration background is a relevant variable on voluntary engagement as well as the access to leadership positions in organised sport. The database used for the analysis is the ‘4th wave of the German Voluntary Survey 2014’. For the analysis, a sub-sample was generated, which performs voluntary work in sport (n = 4,419). In addition, the group of migrants within this sub-sample was divided into four more specific groups, using `immigration experiencè and `German citizenship´ as the distinguishing characteristics. Bivariate analyses show that people with a migration background have a lower rate of voluntary engagement and that they are also less likely to have a leadership function in voluntary sports clubs (VSCs). However, a more differentiated analysis reveals that the group of migrants is by no means homogeneous: Migrants who were born in Germany and have German citizenship show the highest level of voluntary engagement in sports among migrants in general. Multiple regression analyses indicate that the differences between the migrant groups with regard to volunteering in organised sport remain largely stable even if other individual resources are considered. Subsequently, migration-specific characteristics such as immigration experience and German citizenship contribute to the forecast of volunteering in sports.

Tweet, share, like? De rol van sociaalnetwerksites van sportverenigingen bij de ontwikkeling van het clubgevoel van leden

Tweet, share, like? The role of social network sites at voluntary sports clubs in developing membership involvement The number of organizations that use social network sites (SNSs) for internal communication is growing rapidly. However, little is known about the use and perceptions of SNSs in member organizations, such as voluntary sports clubs (VSCs). In a survey, members of the Dutch VSCs (n = 129) were asked about their use and perceptions of their clubs’ social network sites (ClubSNSs) and aspects of involvement with their club. Foremost, ClubSNSs are characterized as informative, interactive, and entertaining channels, as indicated by significant relationships with the content types on ClubSNSs. Furthermore, content about sports, the club, and the members are important. Finally, ClubSNSs contribute to membership involvement through the identification of members with their sports club. The main contributions of this study are the insights into the use and perceptions of SNSs in member organizations, such as VSCs. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Practices of German voluntary sports clubs to include refugees

In view of the current migratory movement of refugees to Europe, voluntary sports clubs (VSCs) are often regarded as important drivers in ensuring refugees’ participation in social life. As interest organisations, VSCs produce their services in order to satisfy their members’ interests. This study analyses the practices that VSCs have developed in order to make sports services accessible to refugees. In this study, 37 German VSCs were selected and analysed indepth using a qualitative research approach. The findings reveal that VSCs often develop unconventional practices to include refugees beyond the established routines of the club work and adopted diverse practices: some VSCs have built up cooperation with other organisations to provide sport services in refugee accommodations. Some club practices consist in establishing so-called ‘refugee training groups’ which operate separately from other training groups. Finally, there are VSCs that have enabled refugees to participate in regular training groups.