Working on behalf of Sport Wales, Platypus Research recently completed a piece of research to provide up-to-date insight on the volunteering landscape in Wales.
The pandemic has made many people reflect on how they spend their ‘free’ time, so this research was needed in order to capture the latest views of sport volunteers in Wales and provide fresh insight which will be extremely useful for us all.
How was the research carried out?
An online survey was conducted to provide a platform for volunteers to share their views and experiences on the following five volunteering areas:
- Culture
- Experience
- Recognition
- Recruitment and Retention
- Role and responsibilities
In addition to the survey, focus groups with key sports organisations across the Welsh sport sector were created to discuss the key findings from the survey. This also provided an opportunity to understand if the sector’s priorities were aligned with the end user needs. Focus groups included representation from Football Association of Wales, Welsh Rugby Union, Welsh Cycling, Welsh Gymnastics, Welsh Athletics, Urdd, Street Games, Park Run, Swim Wales, Welsh Triathlon and Tennis Wales.
What did we discover?
The executive summary of the research findings can be found here.
Next steps
Please take time to digest this information and consider how you may use it to take positive actions within your area of sport in Wales.
Please note that additional focus groups with specific underrepresented groups (areas of deprivation, youth voice and ethnically diverse communities) are being conducted during the next month.
Sport Wales will use the findings from the survey and focus groups to coordinate a learning series to provide opportunities for the sector to connect, learn and share. The early indications are that the learning series will focus on themes such as equality, diversity and inclusion; ensuring that we are an active nation where EVERYONE can have a lifetime of enjoyment of sport. Please look out for details of this forthcoming learning series.
Thank you
Thanks to everyone who has given their time to support this piece of work. We look forward to using the learning to continue to develop sport and physical activity in our communities across Wales. Without volunteers, most activity simply wouldn’t happen. Volunteers give up their time and make a huge difference in their communities.
The Commonwealth Games is also showcasing the importance of volunteering in sport, as the Games organisers are expecting to train and deploy over 13,000 volunteers!
If you’d like to know more about this research, please feel free to contact Stephen Dᵉ Abreu, Sport Wales People Development Officer, by emailing [javascript protected email address]