Rita Ralston

The Sports Development Potential of Sports Event Volunteering: Insights from the XVII Manchester Commonwealth Games

Abstract The sports development implications of investment in major sports events are not well researched, in contrast to an examination of the economic impacts of events. A sample of volunteers at the XVII Manchester Commonwealth is explored to identify how experience of volunteering at a major sports event affects interest, participation and subsequent volunteering in sport, and also volunteering in non-sport contexts. Factor analysis is employed to summarize volunteer experiences, and then regression analysis, which controls for differences in the sports and socio-economic characteristics. While there is some evidence that volunteering at a major event can raise interest, participation and volunteering in sport generally, capitalizing upon this will require focusing efforts on particular triggers for change. There appears to be much stronger potential opportunity to generate wider social capital than necessarily produce changes associated with sport.

The Expectations of Volunteers Prior to the XVII Commonwealth Games, 2002. A Qualitative Study

The XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester, from July 25 to August 4, 2002, was the largest Commonwealth Games (the Games) and multisporting event ever held in the UK and required the recruitment and training of the largest volunteer workforce in the UK in recent decades. While much has been written about volunteering within different contextual backgrounds, and in relation to large-scale events, little research has addressed the issue of expectations of volunteers and their attitude towards functional management during the run up to a major international event. Using a qualitative research approach with focus groups this study addresses these issues. In terms of expectations, a number of key factors were identified in relation to the recruitment, training, and other management dimensions of the Games that have implications for volunteer motivation, responses to the psychological contract, and the long-term impact of a major event.

Gender differences in sports event volunteering: insights from Crew 2002 at the XVII Commonwealth Games

Mega sports events offer potential as a social and economic policy intervention designed to stimulate personal and social capital. This paper explores this potential in the particular context of gender differences in the motivations and expectations of volunteers at the XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002. It utilizes questionnaire survey responses from 698 volunteers at these games. The paper argues that while the volunteers shared the same characteristics as the wider population in terms of sports participation and volunteering, none the less the expectations of female volunteers were very different than their male counterparts and, more than males, reflected the expectation of using the Games to raise their personal and social capital. This suggests a clear potential for using sports interventions to overcome existing social obstacles to both entry into the labour market but also enhanced community involvement in sports.

Volunteer motivation and expectations prior to the XV commonwealth games in manchester, UK

The recruitment and management of volunteers to support the development of major sporting events has become a key factor in sports and has sports tourism implications in terms of the effects upon volunteering in the region by drawing upon volunteers from outside the immediate area. However, in order to mobilize and utilize such volunteers effectively it is necessary to understand the expectations of volunteers prior to an event. The authors analyse the findings of a quantitative survey of volunteers at the XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester, 2002, undertaken prior the event. As well as confirming the sports tourism potential of mega-events as expressed through volunteering, management implications are derived with respect to fine-tuning the benefits which should be offered to volunteers.

The Third Force in Events Tourism: Volunteers at the XVII Commonwealth Games

This paper explores the opportunities for developing a third force in sustainable tourism development through recruitment and involvement of volunteers at events. It takes as its focus the example of Manchester and its efforts to engage with volunteers for the XVII Commonwealth Games, held in Manchester, UK in 2002. As part of the Games legacy, Manchester also sought to encourage and develop a pool of potential future volunteers within the North West region of the UK. However, although the findings from a survey of volunteers at the Games suggests that volunteers have strengthened their level of support for the host destination there are many potential barriers to retention of volunteer interest and commitment. The study concludes that volunteers could become more important for events tourism in the North West region of the UK but that there is a case for a volunteer infrastructure that acts as a ‘broker’ of volunteering opportunities.

Social Inclusion through Volunteering: The Legacy Potential of the 2012 Olympic Games

Considerations of Olympic Games’ legacies have focused on economic benefits, with little consideration given to the potential legacy from the substantial number of volunteers involved. This article examines the experiences of volunteers in a programme established as a legacy of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Its results challenge the dominant social inclusion discourse in showing that volunteering provides social inclusion benefits beyond employability by enriching volunteers’ lives and empowering them to make new choices. Recognizing and valuing this would enable ‘social inclusion’ programmes promoting volunteering at major events, such as the 2012 Olympics, to broaden their objectives.

Lessons from the Volunteering Legacy of the 2002 Commonwealth Games

Potential exists for a more multifaceted and interrelated volunteering legacy from mega sporting events than has been recognised by previous research, including not only the continuation and development of volunteering activity, but also the contribution that activity makes to the social inclusion of volunteers, the economic contribution to the development of events in the region, the development of a skilled volunteer workforce and raising the standard of event volunteer management. This paper provides evidence for that claim via a case study of Manchester Event Volunteers—a volunteer development organisation established after the 2002 Commonwealth Games, which is still operating seven years later and provides a role model for volunteer broker organisations. The case study shows that local government played a key role in generating a volunteer legacy, but that legacy planning was limited by the imperative of running the event. Implications for similar events, such as the 2012 Olympics, are discussed.

The motivations and expectations of volunteers on cycle trails: The case of the National Cycle Network, UK

Abstract It is generally acknowledged that an understanding of the motivations and expectations of volunteers is an important first step in planning for their management. However, these considerations have been overlooked with regard to volunteers on trails. This paper presents an exploratory study of the motivations and expectations of trail volunteers, focusing on a case study of volunteer rangers on the National Cycle Network in the United Kingdom. Empirical data were collected through focus groups and analysed by template analysis. A concern for the environment, commitment to sustainable transport, love of cycling and affiliation with an organizations values emerged as the main motivations. The volunteers expected to be deployed appropriately, with regard to task and location, and receive recognition for their efforts. It was concluded that incorporating these factors into the planning process would improve the recruitment and retention of volunteers, and increase volunteer-organization commitment.

The Rewards of Individual Engagement in Volunteering: A Missing Dimension of the Big Society:

This paper examines the experience of volunteering in relation to the latent functions of paid work identified by social psychologists. In-depth interviews with fourteen volunteers illustrate the considerable rewards of volunteering, especially in terms of personal status and identity. The common rewards of volunteering and employment challenge the traditional dichotomy between paid and unpaid work. However, the experience of volunteering is context specific, and for some the lack of material benefits will limit its ability to substitute for employment. The promotion of volunteering within the UK Big Society policy could acknowledge its personal benefits, while being mindful that their ability to contribute to a satisfying life is moderated by the individuals circumstances and attitude towards the opportunities volunteering offers.

The legacy costs of delivering the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games through regulatory capitalism

The governance structure of the 2012 Olympic Games illustrates characteristics of ‘regulatory capitalism’ in which government awards an initial contract to deliver a project to a private-sector umbrella organisation. To deliver the 2012 Games, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is estimated to have awarded over 75,000 (sub)contracts to private companies. The government’s ability to make political interventions after an initial contract is awarded is sacrificed to maximise the likelihood of the project being delivered on time. This paper shows how, as a consequence of this structure, the separation of the delivery of the Games from its volunteer legacy responsibilities prevented the adoption of a strategy for generating more community volunteers from the Games. It prevented synergy being maximised between LOCOG’s Games Maker programme and Sport England’s Sport Maker programme, which aimed to generate 40,000 new sport volunteers. Further, legal protection of the sponsor’s interests prevented Olympic events such as the torch relay, and even certain words, being employed by local government to promote sports participation. A further consequence of LOCOG’s status as a private company has been the restrictions imposed by the ‘non-disclosure agreement’ its employees and contractors were required to sign, which has limited a knowledge transfer legacy – a liberty cost of regulatory capitalism. Delivery by regulatory capitalism is shown to have had significant hidden costs in relation to legacy aspirations with implications for future mega-sports events such as the 2014 Commonwealth Games.