Sport Volunteers

The valuable contribution volunteers bring to society is being more and more recognized. As all levels of government become more engaged in supporting active citizenship, volunteering is promoted as one of the best examples of how individuals can make a meaningful contribution to civil society with volunteering seen as an important expression of citizenship and fundamental to democracy.

The organization of every sports event/competition requires the engagement of volunteers. Volunteers are fundamental to the success of international and domestic sports events. Sports event organizers rely on the knowledge, skills and experiences of volunteers. In most Member States, the sports movement would not exist without volunteering. Volunteers and community involvement lie at the very heart of any truly successful sporting event. Volunteers can provide the most basic of labour (e.g. handing out water and prize bags, set-up and clean-up) and can also be a great source of expertise needed by organisations.

The economic value of volunteer contributions is significant and well-recognised. People are motivated to volunteer for all sorts of reasons. For most, it is a leisure choice. Many people volunteer because they find it enjoyable. The volunteer experience can also give people the chance to develop: time management, teamwork, problem-solving and cross-cultural communication skills, as well as the ability to take initiative and make a positive contribution to their teams.Therefore we have created a mobile application that will:

1. Strengthen the capacity of volunteers to participate in sport events/competitions and increase the number of volunteers educated to support sports events/competitions for persons with and without disabilities

2. Help promoting volunteering in a specifically sporting context

3. Facilitate accessibility of volunteer services for organizers of sport events by developing international Sports Volunteer Application

4. Strengthen capacity of organizers of sports events for recruitment of volunteers and on volunteer management