Local Authority support to volunteers in sports clubs

This paper draws on the results of a major study into volunteers in sport, conducted for the Sports Council by the Leisure Industries Research Centre (LIRC). It identifies the major problems faced by volunteers in sports clubs and the ways in which support from local authorities has attempted to help overcome these. It explores the tension between unconditional support of the voluntary sector, which recognizes its pluralist diversity, and conditional support, which recognizes local authorities' need to allocate resources in a way that will contribute to their strategic objectives. The paper examines the partnership between local authorities and the voluntary sector in the light of the changing role of local authorities.