Case study - top tips on recruiting and organising volunteers!

Need some ideas on how to recruit new volunteers for your club? Hartlepool Huskies have done some great work, take a look at how they have done it in this case study.

Some information about our club

Club: Hartlepool Huskies Basketball Club

Established: January 2022;

Staff and volunteers: 1 Director (unpaid) (2 additional joining soon); 5 Basketball England L2 coaches; 2 parent coaches; 1 non-coaching team member.

Attendees / Teams: 150 CYP / 4 x teams of under 8’s, 4 x teams of under 10’s, 2 x teams of under 12’s, 1 x under 14’s boys, 1 x under 14’s Girls Only, 1 x under 16’s

Sessions per week: Thurs, Fri evenings; also run occasional street events and taster sessions. Most teams play in the local league which is the last weekend of every month from October

The girls only team is National league, so will travel up and down the country, playing their first game on the 2nd of October. Hartlepool hasn’t done a girls National League team in more than 2 decades.

How to identify volunteers

Spotting parents is key route for getting people involved
If possible make room for Parents / carers to watch the session, at Mill House Leisure centre they adults watch Huskies sessions the from the gallery above the court – important recruiting volunteers!

What to look for

Watch out for those people who are really keen and engaged with the children – they are easy to spot and will make good volunteers
If they have previously been involved with other clubs, brilliant, but not necessary
The right enthusiasm / commitment, this has been quite easy to spot so far

What next?

Start small … begin by asking them to do a few tasks such as handing out bibs / water bottles
Once they are more engaged and interested in getting involved – aim to allocate them to a specific age group that they can specialize in
Assign team manager roles – to support the young people / keep in touch with them, look after social media, organize fixtures, check everyone is ok, drinks etc. This support is invaluable to the smooth running of the club and the happiness of the young people taking part
In addition to parents – Involve a couple of children from slightly older groups and get them helping out with the younger ones; these are future leaders and potentially future coaches

Meet Sophia age 10, she attends the younger training sessions before her own, her role is to welcome and encourage new and younger players. She also joins in the game – but just passes the ball to keep the game flowing.

Sophia has been attending for 6 months, more or less from the start. She previously travelled to Middlesbrough to play basketball for a club. Her mam heard about the new club and they tried it and loved it. Welcoming, vibrant, interested in individuals, more coaching time/individual attention. Mam also likes it and is now a team manager.

Training and supporting volunteers

Huskies see this as very important and take a Continual Professional Development approach to coaches and volunteer training
This work is planned in, and happens every week. Young People at the club are following a curriculum, we use a skills checklist when training, constant improvement/progression

There is a great atmosphere at the club – how do they get the culture right, keep everyone motivated?

- Calvin make’s sure he is around for all sessions (3 sessions between 5 & 8pm Thurs and Fri) because a significant percentage (around 30%) of young people have additional needs there are behavioral problems, it’s key to make sure everyone is engaged and happy
- Certificates are awarded at the end of every session for the youngest age group yr 1 to yr 3 – each coach makes 2 awards. Photos are taken children with certificates.. Coaches also put them on social media / FB page if permission is given.

Engaging with parents and parent volunteers and what they said liked:

Parents evenings – had the first one of these last week to make sure everyone understood the ethos of the club and how the structure works. Will hold regularly
Info on child’s needs discussed – Parents are asked to complete a form when their child comes along- capturing any relevant info about them and their needs. The coach arranges to discuss this individually with the parent.
Like the energy, and like being able to watch – can see the progression of the children really quickly.
A Parent sitting on side of court (with permission to be closer to her son) – had been attending for three weeks with her little boy. Found out about the club via a taster session at another Centre. Usually plays football but is enjoying this a lot more. ‘It really helps that I can sit at the side – he can be anxious and likes quieter activities. The club ethos is really nice. My son has a really good connection with one of the coaches already. He has come along to the club despite now knowing anyone else, its going so well’

Raymond – Parent volunteer – previously attended and coached at a Hartlepool Football Club – where his son was playing. ‘ My son tried basketball and absolutely loves it so I have come along too. They asked me to coach and get involved straight away, I’m now doing basketball coaching qualifications.’ Raymond sees club’s success down to being affordable, and really well organized – getting lots of people involved, giving young people attention. ‘The club time is end to end the kids are busy from when they get here till the end of the hour – it’s important to keeping everyone’s attention – also a really good work out! They don’t stop the whole time here. The kids are treated differently at this club to other ones I’ve been to.’
Ruth – Parent volunteer, also a personal trainer and dinner lady, is currently doing level 2 basketball coaching with the other volunteers – her three children attend the club and love it. She is impressed with the skills checklist for coaches, internal CPD approach, concentrating on a specific age group.

Last but not least! What do young people like about the club?

More sessions available can play two nights / week, and join with younger ones.
Feel valued and important! Assistant coach and occasionally will referee
Like that there is so much happening, it’s exciting and fun!
Lots of people said they like getting attention from the coaches and feedback on how they could improve. Many said they felt like they were getting better, loved the atmosphere and being part of the club.
On a final note the Club said they take a different approach to many with girls. They have a girls only team and mixed teams, and the same with training sessions. Girls can move to girls only when they want or stay with the mixed team – they decide. The bond between the girls is very strong and they are already a great group of players. The club runs a ‘shooters club’ on a Friday – where all can take part. Some girls have moved across from other clubs where there are no girls only teams.

"Huskies have recently joined Sported. We are currently expanding the Huskies into Stockton and Durham, and are happy for anyone to come along have a chat, and see what they do. More information and their contact details can be found on their website www.huskies-basketball.com"

Calvin, Shaun and John Hartlepool Huskies Tweet