This is Volunteers Week. Thank you for making rugby league happen.
Britain loves volunteering. In 2017/18, 20.1 million (38%) people in the UK volunteered formally at least once a year and 11.8 million (22%) of people did so at least once a month, with ‘wanting to do good’ the most common motivation, There are over 166,000 voluntary organisations in the UK which mainly rely on volunteers. Volunteering powers the nation; it’s worth more than £22bn to the economy (about 1.2% of GDP). More people chose to give their time, energy and love to sport than any other sector.
Marc Lovering, Director of Participation and Development; “Rugby league opportunities happen every week because of the commitment and passion of volunteers at clubs and Foundations, and in schools and colleges.
“They are the heartbeat of the sport. Earlier this year, the RFL undertook one of the largest surveys of regular rugby league volunteers to get more insight into why people volunteer; their motivations; how long they stay involved; what support and development opportunities are most valued and what barriers may exist to everyone feeling welcome and able to enjoy a fulfilling time in the sport. The survey, which was supported by focus groups, workshops and research, is informing a new joint plan of inclusive support and opportunities for volunteers from the RFL and RLWC2021 which will be launched at the end of the Summer.
“The World Cup opportunities will be extremely exciting and will be attractive to passionate club volunteers and people who may be new to our sport and keen to be involved in one of the nation’s biggest and most inclusive events. Alongside that it is important we work together with all regular volunteers and have direct communications to them and from them. We want to ensure we are supporting individuals and teams to enjoy their journey in the sport – and the mental, physical and social benefits that come from belonging; and to stay involved in any way that’s right for them.”
The Rugby League Volunteer Survey results included:
- 91% of respondents very or fairly satisfied with their volunteering experience in rugby league
- Volunteers’ motivations centred on their desire to give back to the sport; followed by meeting people and making friends, and having the chance to learn new skills
- People with disabilities are far less likely to be involved in regular volunteering in sport, including rugby league. Some of the barriers (cited in the survey) to more people with disabilities enjoying regular volunteering opportunities include better communications, more training in sports psychology skills and more opportunities to obtain formal coaching qualifications
- 32% of respondents said they had received a reward/recognition for volunteering from either their club/Foundation or the RFL
- The availability, location, duration and costs of coaching courses is important to club volunteers
- Club volunteers value support and information and the ability to liaise with the RFL
- ‘Make it simple and make it easy’ is the number one suggestion from respondents to encourage more and new people to get involved in regular or major event volunteering
- Many volunteers would like to see more use of digital and mobile communications, including the use of social media communities so that volunteers can share best practice with each other
The new RFL and RLWC2021 plan will launch in late summer, ahead of applications for World Cup opportunities.
