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Sports volunteering

Volunteering is an ideal way to get involved in sport, develop new skills and stay engaged in a sport. It can be a rewarding activity which helps you to meet new people and take on new challenges through roles such as coaching or administration.

Sports volunteering activities

The wide range of opportunities to get involved in sports volunteering includes:

  • coaching
  • administration
  • officiating
  • committee work
  • organising events and competitions

Depending on your individual skills or interests, you can offer to volunteer in any of the above areas. You don't need to be good at the sport in which you wish to volunteer. Some of the most important attributes include enthusiasm and interest.

Your sports organisation should put you through any qualifications that you need to carry out your role. Most people volunteer on average 2 to 3 hours a week but there are also opportunities to volunteer more or less frequently.

Coaching

To become involved in coaching in a particular sport, a coaching qualification may be required. Many sports organisations run coach development courses regularly. For more information on sports coaching, visit the Sport Northern Ireland website.

Administration

Volunteering in sports administration can include many roles such as acting as a secretary for a sports club, managing registrations for an event, or managing memberships of a club.

Officiating

Voluntary officiating in sports can include a variety of roles such as acting as a referee, umpire or another adjudicator at sports events. It can also include marshalling or registering participants.

Committee work

Committee members in a sports organisation or club can carry out a range of roles, coordinating areas such as communications, coaching, recruitment or regulations.

Working with young people

If you volunteer to work with young people in Northern Ireland you'll need to register with the vetting and barring scheme, also known as ISA registration, within the next five years.