How Volunteering England are working with the new government strategy for sport
The non-departmental public body Sport England’s new strategy has a sharpened focus on working closely with the national governing bodies of sport (NGBs) to deliver the strategic objectives. The strategy also looks to creating strong partnerships with Local Authorities.
Volunteering is talked about throughout the strategy as part of the “world leading community sport system”. Volunteering England is pleased to see a clearer role for volunteer management within the work of governing bodies of sport and we are looking forward to supporting national governing bodies of sport to develop volunteering within their sport. Volunteering England and Sport England are continuing our work together to improve the quality and quantity of volunteering in sport.
Future opportunities for Volunteering England members to work with sport
Sport England’s new strategy opens up opportunities for both Volunteer Centres and volunteer involving organisations already delivering sport or thinking about delivering sport in the future. Although there is a strong emphasis on national governing bodies of sport, there will also be opportunities for wider third sector organisations who deliver sport as well as potential for Volunteer Centres to continue their work improving volunteer management in sport.
Lottery funding consultation - have your say.
From April 2009, Sport England proposes key changes to their lottery funding. Sport England are consulting on a new, more streamlined method of funding wider community sports projects through a “series of managed rounds of lottery funding”. There will also be a “dedicated innovation fund to identify and pilot best practice in all aspects of community sport”.
For an overview of these future funding opportunities in the context of the full strategy, see p. 29 of the Sport Strategy. To read the lottery consultation document from Sport England visit their website. Volunteering England is currently drafting a response in line with our work with Sport England and sport volunteering: improving the quality of volunteering and volunteer management within sport and working with wider partners such as Volunteer Centres to deliver improved volunteer management at a grassroots level.
A role for Volunteer Centres?
The funding options outlined in the lottery consultation should be open to Volunteer Centres as well as volunteer involving organisations. Therefore the work that many Volunteer Centres are doing with County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) and community sport organisations can continue to press ahead. The current Community Investment Fund will close at the end of March 2009, although there may still be remaining funding in some regions.
For further examples of Volunteer Centres working with sport, please visit the case study pages.
For further information, please contact
laura.ferguson@volunteeringengland.org or call 020 7520 8935.
