Sported has released the findings of its strategic review of volunteering in Wales, outlining solutions that will give a boost to volunteering at trustee, board and management levels.

Working alongside partners Sport Wales, Welsh Sports Association, WCVA, Boys and Girls Clubs of Wales, Volunteering Wales, and Street Games, Sported, which is the UK’s largest grassroots sports charity, launched the research and solutions at an event at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

Sported’s National Manager for Wales, Richard Thomas, said of the report’s release: “At Sported, we’re committed to helping realise the potential that sport and physical activity can have on the lives of people in Wales.

“This research and these solutions will have a big benefit on volunteering in grassroots sport across Wales which, in turn, will strengthen and support communities to living healthier and more active lives.

“As a charity we are on hand to uplift and empower local sports clubs and groups, and we’re really looking forward to seeing how the solutions proposed through this project impact the Welsh community sport sector.”

Key findings from the Wales Strategic Volunteering Project (WSVP) research revealed the profile and demographic of individuals currently undertaking board, trustee and management volunteering roles, the barriers and challenges faced by those individuals and others looking to get into those roles, factors surrounding recruitment and retention to roles at this level, and good practice in supporting these volunteers.

Following its conclusion, the WSVP has also provided stakeholders and delivery groups with recommendations on how to enhance the capacity and impact of volunteering in these roles at the local, regional and national level within Wales.

To find out more about the WSVP and to view the report and solutions, please click here.

Speaking about the project and the impact it will have on volunteering in grassroots sport in Wales, Polly Crook, Sported’s Partnership Manager for Wales, said: “Grassroots sport has so much to offer communities throughout Wales and, at Sported, we are excited to see how the project will bring a fresh lease of life to sports clubs and groups.

“Working with our partners and the Advisory Board to bring this project to life has been a great experience, and we’re grateful to all involved for helping us get to this point.

“With the publication of the research and solutions, I’m now really looking forward to working with sporting organisations across Wales to see it implemented.”

To get involved with bringing the report to life and implementing the solutions across Wales, please reach out to Polly by emailing p.crook@sported.org.uk.