Keep up to date with weekly news on Monster Block!

Volunteers and members

Recruiting new members

Even the best run clubs will lose players for various good reasons. It is essential that every club find new members who will help the club develop and expand. Volleyball is a sport that many people in your local community will have played in school, or may have encountered on TV or internet. Many of these people may like to play Volleyball but don’t know about your club. In order to recruit new members it is essential to publicise your club to help people find out about you.

Club Advertisement

  • Put posters up in Sports centres, schools, shops and other public areas, advertising training times, contact details, cost of taking part and any upcoming home matches
  • Advertise in your local newspaper, free add papers and on local radio. Also submit regular press releases about the clubs activities to these sources.
  • Organise a club open day or taster session
  • Go to local sports centres and encourage them to include Volleyball as one of the activities to propose and partner up with them in order to use their venue
  • Stage a volleyball demonstration and “come and try it session” in a local park or on a local beach.
  • Contact your Local Sports Partnership and include your club details in their clubs directory for promotion at county level

Recruiting Volunteers

Volunteers are the backbone of clubs. To efficiently run the club, a series of volunteers roles must be covered. Each volunteer follows a defined and clear list of functions. It is important to set up a recruitment process in order to access candidates and their abilities to fulfil the tasks required.

Role

The role envisaged (for example manager, coach, etc.) should be clearly stated and the responsibilities relating to the role and the level of experience or qualifications required should be clarified at the outset.

Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct should be read through and discussed with the applicant. This Code should be agreed upon prior to appointing the individual to any position.

References

As part of the recruitment process, references should be sought from applicants. These may refer to the person’s character and if applicable to the applicant’s previous background in Volleyball. All references should be verified by the club.

Meeting with candidate

A senior representative of the club should meet with each applicant to ensure that they are aware of the role(s) allocated to them and they may use the occasion to clarify any issues that may arise and identify any coaching or up- skilling needs as appropriate.

Review and Assessment

A probationary period is advisable. This period is usually six months. Throughout this time, and during the volunteer’s engagement with players following this probationary period, adequate support and supervision should be provided to the volunteer; a Leader should not have to work alone.

Role Assistance

Support structures which are available through the club, Sport Ireland or your Local Sports Partnership (LSP) such as Foundation Level Coaching, First Aid or Safeguarding Training that would help the volunteer should be made known and, if deemed appropriate, should be offered to the person when they are recruited.

Inducting Volunteers

Another crucial step in the recruitment process of volunteers is the induction. Inducting a new volunteer involves giving them all the information they need in order to fulfil the role, information about how the club runs on a daily basis, and a warm welcome with introductions to other club members. For instance, a newly hired coach needs to be aware of the club’s policies, the equipment’s location, how to access the venue, opening and closing hours of the facility, and emergency procedures. An in dept volunteer induction checklist can be downloaded clicking here.

Induction Tips

  • Provide a copy of club constitution and clarify where to find policies and rules
  • Share the club’s culture and history with the volunteer to create an emotional attachment to the mission and goals of the organization
  • Introduce the new volunteer to key club members, people that are relevant for the new volunteer’s tasks and to contact in case of any issues
  • Insert details of new volunteers in club’s registers
  • Discuss details of tasks the new volunteer will be required to do, how it was run before and what is expected from them
  • Support the volunteer in familiarising with facilities, equipment, resources and daily club operations
  • Make sure the emergency and safety policies are read and understood

Retaining Members

It can be daunting for some people to join a new club, especially if they haven’t played before and they don’t know anyone else in the club. Here are some tips that will help you retain new players and make them feel welcome to your club.

  • Make sure your club is well advertised locally and in the sports centre
  • If the club is not near public transport and “well lit” streets arrange a pick up point for players without transport and advise new players of this
  • Keep the sessions cheap or free for the first few sessions attended
  • Be welcoming, friendly, and helpful
  • Appraise volunteers and their work, be thankful and welcome new ideas
  • Introduce the new member to other club members
  • Understand the needs of new members, check in with them regularly
  • Appoint someone in your club to be responsible for welcoming and involving all new members
  • Develop a club welcome pack to give to all new members with info such as:
    • Details of teams within the club
    • Clubs aims
    • Club History
    • Competitions
    • Training times
    • Upcoming Events
    • Club Social Activities
    • Relevant contact information