How to increase the diversity of volunteers in sport

Volunteers have a huge impact on society, especially in the sport and physical activity sector, without our amazing volunteers many activities and events wouldn’t be possible. 

There are many different ways to volunteer, from local clubs and activities to national events.  Volunteer week is a time to celebrate all the heroes fueling our sector! 

There are also many individual benefits to volunteering as it can have a positive effect on mental wellbeing as well as supporting people to develop new skills. It is a great way to make friends and feel part of something. 

Research has shown that volunteering is not as inclusive and accessible as it should be, and due to this, the demographic of many volunteers is not reflective of society.

We want everyone to have access to the benefits of volunteering and ensure people can see themselves reflected in an organisation’s volunteering staff and the participants.  

What is our starting point? 

I wanted to start by framing the context as lots of organisations exist that have grown around a commonality of the people involved, such as ethnicity, cultural heritage, religion and belief/belonging to a faith centre, disability, socio-economic group, sexual orientation and gender identity. That’s because people want to go to clubs where they feel welcome and comfortable, and sadly people have often experienced racism, religious discrimination, ableism, classism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, sexism and other types of discrimination in clubs without a specified focus on a commonality. 

In this sense there is huge diversity in the clubs/organisations that exist in the UK and that includes the wonderful volunteers who give their time to them. 

A ‘lack of diversity’ can mean different things

Firstly, if clubs are organised around a particular protected characteristic/area of diversity (and we are not thinking intersectionally), then they lack diversity because the group is homogenous. 

Secondly, is our data and understanding focussed on clubs/organisations focussed around membership to a National Governing Body (NGB), or an ‘NGB/internationally recognised’ competition structure of a sport?  Research shows that these type of organisations often over-index people from white backgrounds who live in more affluent areas. 

The correlation between building relationships and increasing diversity

If all the above points are true, then increasing diversity is all about building relationships and creating understanding as diversity is all around us; we’re just not coming together enough.    

This is about getting to know the people and organisations in your local area. Understanding why you’ve not connected before, what barriers might have been put up in the past, recognising them, apologising for them and rebuilding relationships. And thinking about how you might be able to connect now. 

It’s good to understand what creates that welcoming environment and why people/participants/coaches/volunteers in certain organisations feel safe and happy to be themselves. Think about how you could create that environment.  

Could you collaborate with other organisations? Could you hold some joint events? In early spring this year, we saw many high-profile and local sports teams holding open Iftar events during Ramadan, which brought people from different communities, religions and cultures together to experience breaking their fast as a group. 

In June we often see lots of great sporting events and physical activities which celebrate Pride and LGBTQ+ inclusion. Could your organisation hold an event for Pride to show your commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion? For example, Cycling UK’s volunteer network took part in Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces Campaign to show their commitment to LGBTQ inclusion. If members of your organisation don’t identify as LGBTQ+ or don’t feel comfortable to be out, can you link in with a local LGBTQ+ organisation to gain some knowledge and support so you can be inclusive and welcoming.  

Local and national organisations exist which can provide information and support you to know more about every protected characteristic. They may also be able to provide you with information about local groups, faith centres etc. that you could contact to build relationships with. 

Case Studies 

• Dream Big desi women is an excellent example of an NGB supporting local areas to build a volunteer base with a different demographic to the people they usually engage. 

The programme, funded by Sport England and led by the ECB’s cities and volunteer programme, at the time headed by Shruti Saujani, had ‘the aim of inspiring 2,000 South Asian women to take up volunteering roles in cricket.’ 

In this article from the ECB Shruti explains that it’s about engaging with your audience, understanding what’s important to them, and building relationships. Shruti and the team spent time getting to know the women who would become their future coaches and their families. 

The programme was a great success and many South Asian women who had never considered cricket coaching are leading fun and engaging All Stars sessions across the country. 

• Another great inclusive volunteering programme which saw 361 volunteers with learning disabilities and support needs volunteer at the Rugby League World Cup last year is the programme between The Rugby League World Cup and the charity Community Integrated Care. 

This programme shows the strength of collaboration in creating more inclusion in volunteering. Different organisations will have strengths in areas that you don’t, so being able to learn from them and work together is key. Sport England’s Jenny Betteridge, Strategic lead for volunteering, describes the programme in more detail here. 

Collaborate with Inclusive Sport

When you partner with Inclusive Sport, our expert Inclusion and Diversity consultants support you in creating strategies and practices to achieve your inclusion goals. We offer practical solutions and are there to guide you every step of the way. Feel free to contact us for an informal chat about how we can work together.