Voluntary engagement in sports clubs: A behavioral model and some empirical evidence

Abstract

Voluntary engagement is an important prerequisite for the production of club goods. Although unpaid, the individual decision for or against voluntary engagement can be regarded and formally modeled as a deliberate act of social exchange using elements of behavioral economics. We lay out a simple behavioral model that captures in a stylized way several motives (consumption of the club good, social recognition, human capital, etc.) that may explain why individuals volunteer. We then use results from an interview study to assess the quantitative importance of the different motives, and to shed light on dimensions along which the model can be extended in future research.

Football clubs and philanthropy: An empirical analysis of volunteering, match quality, and donations

“…In September 2011, we used an online instrument to survey volunteers in football clubs in south-west Germany (Südwestdeutscher Fußballregionalverband). The online instrument consisted of a standardized questionnaire, which we developed based on earlier results reported by Emrich et al (2014). We sent the link to the questionnaire via email to the heads of the executive councils of football clubs, and asked them to either fill in the questionnaire and/or send the questionnaire to the volunteers in their football club.…”

In Troubled Water? European Sports Clubs: Their Problems, Capacities and Opportunities

“…Having members is a prerequisite for running a sports club. Next, previous research shows that most clubs rely on volunteers (Emrich et al, 2014;Gumulka et al, 2005;Lasby & Sperling, 2007;Thieme, 2012;Vos et al, 2012), but also that several clubs have problems in recruiting and retaining volunteers (Balduck et al, 2015;Cuskelly, 2004;Gumulka et al, 2005;Koski, 2012;Scheerder et al, 2015;Seippel, 2004;Wicker, 2017). Financial resources are an obvious problem for many non-profit organizations (Hall et al, 2003), and the diversity of sports clubs and national contexts makes it relevant to assume that some clubs might experience financial problems.…”

Individual and contextual determinants of stable volunteering in sport clubs

“…Going beyond socio-economic variables such as age, income or education level, several studies have performed theoretical and/or empirical analyses of the motives associated with voluntary engagement from a variety of perspectives and in a variety of different sport contexts (e.g. Braun, 2003; Emrich et al, 2014; Farrell et al, 1998; Flatau et al, 2014; Kim et al, 2013; Strigas and Jackson, 2003). These motives reflect the values and goals individuals attribute to themselves and associate with voluntary activity.…”

“…According to the ‘logic of selection’ (Esser, 1999), voluntary work describes – in the sense of the utility-expectation theory (Becker, 1976) – an exchange of time and effort for different rewards compared to those of work. The utility of voluntary work results from individual expectations and appraisal of conditions of volunteering alongside the incentive structures in the club (Downward et al, 2009; Emrich et al, 2014). Such rewards for voluntary engagement may be, for example, social recognition, an enhanced reputation, gaining social contacts or returns of social appreciation from other club members (Erlinghagen, 2003; Flatau, 2009).…”