Volunteers at your Club
Volunteers are the backbone of an athletics club, playing a vital role in ensuring the smooth and successful delivery of training sessions, competitions, and events. From coaching and officiating to administration, event setup, and athlete support, volunteers help create a safe, inclusive, and enjoyable environment for all participants. Without their time, skills, and commitment, many club activities simply could not operate. Volunteers also strengthen the club’s sense of community, providing mentorship, fostering positive relationships, and helping athletes of all ages achieve their personal and sporting goals.
Recruiting and retaining volunteers requires a proactive and supportive approach. Clubs can attract new volunteers by clearly communicating the impact and value of each role, offering flexible time commitments, and matching tasks to individual interests or skills. Encouraging parents, athletes, and community members to get involved, providing training and development opportunities, and creating clear role descriptions can help reduce uncertainty and build confidence. To retain volunteers, it is essential to recognise and appreciate their contributions, offer ongoing support, and create a welcoming, inclusive culture where volunteers feel valued, connected, and part of the club’s success.
Inducting all volunteers into your athletics club is essential to ensuring they feel confident, supported, and well prepared in their roles. A structured induction helps volunteers understand the club’s values, policies, safety procedures, and expectations, which promotes consistency, professionalism, and a safe environment for athletes and members. It also helps volunteers feel welcomed and valued from the outset, reducing uncertainty and increasing engagement and retention. By providing clear guidance and information early on, clubs can minimise risk, improve communication, and empower volunteers to contribute effectively, ultimately strengthening the overall culture and success of the club.
The templates below may help you to induct your volunteers
All club volunteers should have a Working With Childrens Check (WWCC). If they are volunteering the check is free, however if they are being paid the person must have a paid check. Note that WWCC applies to those aged 18 years and above.
Working with Childrens Check Application
All of your volunteers should be registered members within your registration platform. During the registration process as a volunteer, they will be asked to provide their WWCC number and expiry date.
From here you will be able to create a report from RevolutioniseSport that has a list of all your volunteers and their WWCC numbers etc.
There are many roles available within an athletics club, and you can find role descriptions here (click here).
An Age Group Manager leads a specific age group, guiding them through events, ensuring fairness, recording results, and fostering a fun, supportive environment by managing the event folder, taking attendance, coordinating parent helpers, and leading kids from one station to the next, essentially keeping their group on track.
They judge simple fouls in field events, coach basic techniques, and ensure all children get equal attention and opportunities to participate, making them crucial for a smooth club competition.
To find out more about Age Manager training visit the website here (click here)