West Yorkshire is top for volunteer support
West Yorkshire Sport were the winners of the County Sports Partnership Award at Wembley Stadium during the first ever runningsports national conference.
The award was presented to Nigel Harrison, director of the CSP with the highest number of runningsports workshop attendees and workshops delivered, at the runningsports Official Partner and Tutor conference held at Wembley last week.
"Many sports clubs are under pressure and need their volunteers to do more than ever," said Nigel, Director of West Yorkshire Sport, the organisation tasked with coordinating sport across the county.
"These workshops are designed to make life easier for the volunteers who do such a great job. They are a very effective tool to help clubs progress by providing advice and tips on issues such as finding funding, volunteering and recruitment.
"We are really pleased that West Yorkshire is recognised as the leading county in delivering these courses, we will continue to use these workshops to support clubs in the future.
runningsports is a Sport England funded programme providing training and support for local volunteers working in sport and the award dinner was created to recognise the work of partners who deliver the training to grassroots volunteers.
Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England, gave a keynote speech to 160 sports volunteers, focussing on Sport England’s community sports development strategy and the need for local clubs to integrate key initiatives such as Clubmark and Step into Sport.
The conference brought together representatives from National Governing Bodies (NGBs), County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) and local authorities across the country, all of whom contribute, along with runningsports - the portfolio created and funded by Sport England that provides skills and support for administrative sports volunteers through various print, online tools and tutored workshops - to supporting sports volunteers.
With workshops and discussion sessions the conference proved to be a valuable platform for debate on a whole range of issues that impact a sports volunteer workforce of over 5 million, including on how best to capitalise on the opportunity of the 2012 Olympics in relation to volunteer recruitment and management.
Phil Collier, Director of runningsports commented: “runningsports is all about providing practical support and developing the skills of volunteers in sport, so we rely heavily on County Sports Partnerships and the people who work in them to let their local clubs know all about the workshops and resources we provide.
"West Yorkshire Sport are leading the way for CSPs across the country in bringing together sports volunteers to learn about developing their local sports clubs, and taking the opportunity to share best practice, regardless of what sport they are involved in. We’d like to offer our congratulations to the team at West Yorkshire Sport and look forward to continuing to work together over the next year, to provide practical support to sports volunteers in West Yorkshire.”
- runningsports is dedicated to providing skills and support for volunteers working in all sports. From quick online tips and tools, to fun and informative workshops, runningsports will help you get more for your organisation and its members.
- runningsports is all about supporting Volunteers working at local level – in clubs, teams or community organisations up and down the country.
- You will find practical tools and helpful tips, best practice guides from other volunteers, downloadable resources for your use right here and now, and details on many other items in the runningsports portfolio like fun and informative workshops that you can participate in. All to help you get the skills you need and, in turn, the very most for your club or sports organisation.