Greater Manchester Physical Activity, Sport and Movement Volunteering

Innoue, Yuhei, Elliott, Catherine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0261-2281, Conricode, Dom, Peng, Qi, Whiley, Timothy and Khan, Wahid (2023) Greater Manchester Physical Activity, Sport and Movement Volunteering. Project Report. Greater Manchester Moving (GreaterSport).

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Abstract

This report presents the key research activities conducted for a GreaterSport-commissioned project ‘Greater Manchester Physical Activity, Sport and Movement Volunteering,’ and discusses findings and recommendations drawn from these activities. The overall goal of this project is to help GreaterSport attain its central aim: ‘To work alongside VCSE (voluntary, community and social enterprise) sector organisations to create a collective understanding of how to develop a systemic approach to volunteering in physical activity, sport and movement across Greater Manchester.’ This goal is accompanied by three objectives: 1) Understand the value and impact of building relationships between VCSE infrastructure organisations and voluntary led physical activity organisations and groups. 2) Identify the underlying trends, inequalities, and barriers within physical activity, sport and movement volunteering to make it more accessible, inclusive, and reflective of Greater Manchester communities. 3) Determine what training, support, resources, information, and funding is needed and the role of the system to develop physical activity, sport and movement volunteering across Greater Manchester. To achieve Objective 1, secondary research of academic and grey literature (e.g., research reports, case studies, white papers) was conducted to synthesise the up-to-date knowledge on the value and impact of establishing cross-sector partnerships involving VCSE organisations. Secondary research findings reveal three types of the value and impact of establishing cross-sector partnerships for the promotion of physical activity, sport and movement volunteering: (a) increasing access to potential volunteers, (b) enhancing the practice of recruiting, supporting, and coordinating volunteers, and (c) providing ideas for revenue generation. To achieve Objective 2, five focus groups (N=37) were conducted with volunteers (x2 groups), non-volunteers (x2), and volunteer coordinators (x1), recruited from diverse groups in Greater Manchester. Findings are presented in three themes. Firstly, volunteers and non-volunteers have contrasting perceptions with respect to volunteering in physical activity, sport and movement. Volunteers viewed volunteering in these fields as open to all, regardless of their experience and commitment levels. In contrast, non-volunteers viewed this type of volunteering as a specialist activity generally only available to those with a sporting background and those who could commit to regular, fixed schedules. Secondly, there are a range of barriers which limited volunteer recruitment and retention in Greater Manchester, including narrow and poor-quality advertisement, a lack of role models, stereotypes, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Thirdly, several facilitators were felt to enable volunteer recruitment and retention in Greater Manchester. These include recruitment methods which align with the needs and abilities of volunteer candidate pools, clarity on volunteer roles and responsibilities, and partnerships in the Greater Manchester VCSE sector. To achieve Objective 3, two types of data were gathered and analysed: (a) discussions that took place during two workshops with the Advisory Group consisting of representatives from select Greater Manchester-based VCSE organisations (N=14), and (b) survey responses from wider Greater Manchester-based organisations and groups (N=96). These data highlight the perceived importance of (a) volunteer training in child protection/safeguarding, basic skills, and volunteer development, and (b) intangible resources (e.g., information for appropriate funding, networks/contacts), to promote volunteering in physical activity, sport and movement in Greater Manchester. The data also underscore the need to provide Greater Manchester4 based organisations and groups with better support to understand where they can access relevant information, resources, and funding opportunities that are suitable for their needs. Based on a synthesis of the findings for the three objectives, eight recommendations are developed to support volunteering in physical activity, sport and movement in Greater Manchester through a systemic approach involving cross-sector partnerships. These eight recommendations are classified into four overarching themes, including: (a) partnership and community, (b) information sharing and distribution, (c) communication and promotion, and (d) research. Recommendations for Partnership and Community: 1) Facilitate relationship building between sport/physical activity organisations and groups, other VCSE organisations, local infrastructure organisations/volunteer centres, national governing bodies, and organisations with potential volunteer pools (e.g., schools, universities, companies). 2) Create Greater Manchester ‘Community of Practice’ in the sphere of physical activity, sport and movement volunteering to enable the sharing of best practice and provide a collaborative space to address shared issues and challenges. Recommendations for Sharing and Distribution: 3) Ensure that organisations and groups know where they can access available information and resources for the training programmes and funding opportunities that are right for them. 4) Enhance and expand recruitment channels to attract and retain a larger and more diverse group of new and existing volunteers through more informative and clearer advertisements. Recommendations for Communication and Promotion: 5) Define the future of volunteering that is attractive to younger generations and demographics that are not currently volunteering in physical activity, sport and movement, aligned to the Vision for Volunteering where relevant. 6) Develop campaigns for communicating with diverse groups in Greater Manchester, featuring role models for these groups, and changing perceptions/stereotyping associated with physical activity, sport and movement volunteering. Recommendations for Research: 7) Gather input and feedback from smaller grassroots organisations and groups beyond surveys to better understand and address their needs. 8) Understand (a) how emerging trends and factors, such as the cost-of-living crisis, technology and innovation, and decentralised power, may impact volunteers and organisations; and (b) how different volunteer motivations can influence the ways in which organisations and groups in Greater Manchester support and promote volunteering opportunities. This report presents rationales for each of the eight recommendations and ideas on the implementation of the recommendations. The report concludes with a reflection of the close collaborative relationships the research team has developed with Advisory Group members.