Volunteering
Volunteering with Sport Aberdeen can be as varied and flexible as the skills and time you’re able to provide.
Volunteers are an essential part of the Sport Aberdeen team, with many of our programmes and events relying on volunteers to make them a success. Consequently, all the volunteers and coaches who work with us are crucial and valued members of our extended team. Without volunteers, many of our programmes simply would not run!
In June 2019, Sport Aberdeen was recognised with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for the outstanding work of our volunteer groups who benefit their local communities. We are extremely proud to have received this award which is the highest award a charity or voluntary group can receive in the UK.
We are always on the lookout for new people to join our team, so if you are interested in any of the opportunities listed in the section below or have any questions please get in touch.
Benefits
There are lots of benefits to be gained from volunteering with Sport Aberdeen.
- Develop new skills and gain valuable experience of working with children and young people, people with a disability, people with a long-term health condition or older people.
- Work as part of a team that creates opportunities for people across your community to become active and improve their well-being.
- By volunteering you can make a difference and benefit your community.
- Get involved in ‘events management’.
- Work towards qualifications such as coaching certificates which may help your future career.
- Above all you will have fun and make new friends!
- All you need is enthusiasm, free time and an interest in sport and physical activity.
- All volunteers will receive a full induction and appropriate training.
- A positive experience providing you with opportunities to develop new skills, gain experience and have fun!
Volunteering Opportunities
Volunteers are the lifeblood of community sport and Sport Aberdeen has links to a number of clubs across the city, in a range of sports, who are keen to recruit volunteers to help them deliver their coaching and competitions.
You don’t have to be an international athlete to get involved with sport. Clubs need volunteers in a variety of roles including, but not limited to, administration, marketing, fundraising as well as coaching and officiating.
If you would like to give something back to sport, help support your child’s interest or just want to get involved with sport in your community, we would like to hear from you.
Active Schools Aberdeen is responsible for putting in place and driving forward, a range of planned activities in both school and community settings to help encourage children and young people to participate in sport and physical activity.
Our volunteer opportunities are wide ranging, from delivering sports sessions and helping to coordinate events, to simply supervising activities or taking registers.
We offer training and development opportunities and often volunteers become paid employees as part of our coaching team. Most importantly, you will be part of a team that plays an important role in improving the health and confidence of Aberdeen’s children and young people. If you are as passionate as we are about getting young people in Aberdeen active, then there is a role for you!
Aquatics Aberdeen delivers swimming lessons and activities at pools across the city.
The team recruit volunteer helpers from aged 14 upwards and no specific qualifications are required. If you have an interest in swimming and good knowledge of the sport, we would be delighted to receive your application. We ask volunteers to demonstrate within classes, so you should be a good swimmer and be able to communicate well.
After a period of volunteering, there are options to become a paid employee, and as part of our development pathway, we offer the SSTQ (16yrs +) and training opportunities in return for a commitment to ongoing hours.
The Active Lifestyles programme offers opportunities for adults to get active regardless of age, gender or ability, including those starting out, recovering from injury, living with a long-term health condition or disability and older adults.
The programme offers a wide range of activities from exercise classes, sports, dance and aquatics sessions, all of which enable people to stay socially connected and active, supporting and improving the wellbeing of those who take part.
Active Lifestyles volunteer opportunities exist to support the delivery of sessions throughout the city, such as supporting a coach in a coached session, assisting participants in an exercise class or setting up and joining in with activity sessions.
Golf Aberdeen manages four of the most stunning public 18-hole golf courses in the UK; the MacKenzie Championship Course, Hazlehead Pines, Balnagask and Kings Links.
Volunteer roles include helping with golf course presentation, raking leaves, cutting back undergrowth, helping clear ditches and litter picks – these are usually done on a Monday morning by the volunteer group at Hazlehead.
We welcome both golfers and non-golfers to volunteer with Golf Aberdeen, at any of our courses, and you can give as much or as little time as you have free. No special skills are needed, and any equipment required is provided.
Health Walks is a complementary programme which consists of short, local volunteer led walks based in many communities across the city.
Walk Aberdeen, who runs the programme, aims to provide an accessible introduction to becoming active through walking. Health Walks are short, community-based walks between one and two miles in distance, or 30-60 minutes in length and are designed as an introduction to becoming physically active so are therefore set at the speed of the slowest walkers.
Starting and ending at the same point, participants can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee giving them the opportunity to socialise with new and old friends. Health Walks are delivered free of charge although there will be a small donation for the refreshments.
FAQ’s
Volunteering is “any activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or someone (individuals or groups) other than, or in addition to, close relatives.”
There are a wide variety of different opportunities to volunteer within Sport Aberdeen. Some may require knowledge of a sport, for example coaching or officiating positions, others may require Sport Aberdeen supporting you to attend a coaching course to help you with your role. However, in most cases, interest and enthusiasm are enough!
Sport clubs need volunteers to help with a variety of roles not directly involved in the sport, so whether your forte is managing finances, fundraising, PR, IT, or making a sandwich and a cup of tea, there is always an opportunity available for you.
We appreciate that everybody has different commitments and, therefore are able to volunteer for different amounts of time. Consequently, there is flexibility for you to volunteer the amount of time you wish. This can be further discussed with the Sports Development Team.
If you volunteer within a role that involves you being in charge of children or vulnerable adults, then you will need to complete a Disclosure Scotland Check. Sport Aberdeen will assist you with this. Please note that having a criminal conviction won’t automatically prevent you from volunteering.
This will depend on the role that you take on; the training offered will vary to meet the needs of the role.