Photo by Robert Hernandez Villalta from Pexels
When we think about volunteering, we may conjure up images of saving the world. Helping those in need. Working for social impact and having purpose.
It’s easy to overlook another type of volunteering that might be ideal for your wish list of activities, especially for those with a love of sports. Helping out as a sports volunteer gets you closer to a sport that you enjoy. And you get to hang out with a like-minded group of devotees who are enthusiastic and fun-loving. There are a range of sports activities that rely on volunteers, comprising both local and national events. There is no “one size fits all” for these opportunities, but the partial list below of examples may give you some ideas to consider.
Big national events like the Super Bowl are one-time events in the community, so there is not a permanent staff to take care of the intricacies of pulling off a successful event. The events are often multi-day events, with a series of associated activities.
When Super Bowl 50 came to town, my wife and I volunteered to be greeters at the park-like site of football memorabilia and displays. After a couple of hours of training and orientation, we began meeting people as they entered the site. Everyone wanted their picture taken in front of a commemorative wall display, so we were handed phones and shot several hundred pictures during one shift. What made the time fly for us was the attitude of the visitors–interesting people from all over the US and the world, joined by an interest in football, and in town to have a good time.
A couple of years later, we had a similar experience at the NCAA national college football championship. We worked on some of the kid’s games on the days before the event. But this time we got an amazing surprise of being one of the volunteers selected to get free tickets to the championship game. Clemson and their talented freshman QB, put on quite a show as they downed Alabama.
Quite a different experience was being an on-the-water course marshall for the America’s Cup sailing race. The job was to patrol the boundaries of the course to keep spectator boats off of the course, while having the world’s best vantage point for watching these thrilling boats racing around the course.
We also have had friends who have had similar fun experiences volunteering at NCAA track and field championships and at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament.
Your commitment is typically for a couple of hours of training, and agreement to do a minimum of 2 shifts of 4 hours each. In addition to public-facing positions, there are also volunteer slots for helping with administrative tasks, or being a driver to pick up dignitaries and athletes at the airport. Your time commitment is predictable and may be compressed to just a couple of days. Swag is abundant for the volunteers. They expect you to wear the shirts, jackets and caps with the event logo, and those are yours to keep after the event.
Isn’t it difficult to get selected as a volunteer? Our experience was that it was surprisingly easy to be picked. The volunteer opportunities may be a well kept secret of when and how to apply. Once an event is announced for your community, a google search can find the event website, and the access to volunteer opportunities. It’s an easy process to apply, and if you have an enthusiasm for the event, you are likely to be selected.
But the Super Bowl is not coming to my town. What about me?
High schools, colleges and community events offer some interesting volunteer opportunities. There may be an even greater need for volunteers as we emerge from the pandemic, where previous volunteering patterns were disrupted.
Is there a marathon or 10k race in your community? How about being a ticket taker or usher at your local high school football games? Once you open your eyes to being a sports volunteer, the opportunities will start to appear. Scrolling through your local sports page may provide a menu of events that may be seeking volunteers. The path to getting the volunteer spot may be via a website, or may be a couple of phone calls to get to the right place.
Sports volunteering may be for you if you have a love of a particular sport and are seeking a way to stay close to the action of that sport. It’s the “insider trading” of a sports event, keeping you close to the action. Camaraderie flows naturally with other volunteers who share a passion for that sport.
Follow Richard on twitter @richardhaiduck. His blog is at richardhaiduck.com. Find his new book on Amazon: Shifting Gears; 50 Baby Boomers Share Their Meaningful Journeys in Retirement.