Information for places of assignment

Why should a sports club offer a voluntary service?

The places of assignment receive support from dedicated and motivated people, generally school leavers, who use the voluntary service as a welcome bridging and orientation period in which they can gain clarity about their own future (professional) life plan whilst doing something “meaningful” for themselves and society at the same time (educational year).

Many clubs have a need for qualified volunteers to support the club on a full-time basis. As they do not have the funds required to employ regular labour, ideas for new projects never get off the ground. The programmes for children and young people cannot be expanded and optimised. Volunteers can help – and work with dedication and enthusiasm.

What organisations can become places of assignment?

The decisive factor for being recognised as a place of assignment for the voluntary service in sport is an appropriate remit. Institutions must be not-for-profit or public-welfare organisations. Sports clubs and sports associations that offer tasks in the area of children’s and youth work can apply for recognition as a place of assignment throughout Germany. Depending on the federal state, schools, nursery schools or other institutions that deploy volunteers in the area of sport can also become a place of assignment.
Possible places of assignment in the area of sport therefore include clubs and sports facilities that regularly organise games, sports and leisure activities for children and young people, e.g. sports clubs, sports associations, youth holiday villages, nursery schools promoting physical activity, schools and educational institutions with a focus on sport, and recreational facilities for children and young people. The tasks and activities involve, for example, assisting with the work of the club or association, at games festivals or sport taster events, at holiday camps or skater meetings, with parent-child gymnastics, or in other interesting areas of work relating to sport.

Quality standards

The quality standards of the voluntary service in sport and of the respective agency form the basis for a collaboration between the place of assignment and the agency They are coordinated with dsj, as the central office, and the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs.
The quality standards take the interests and needs of the volunteers, places of assignment and agencies into consideration. The use of volunteers must have a neutral impact on the labour market. This means that volunteers in the voluntary service support the full-time employees and regular volunteers, but do not replace professionals. A job description that is drawn up and checked by the agency in advance clearly defines the area of work in the voluntary service. It is important that the activities correspond to the individual abilities of the volunteers. Involving the volunteers in the respective team and allowing them to participate in team meetings goes without saying and is a sign of appreciation.

Instruction and support in the voluntary service

The places of assignment guarantee personal and professional support for the volunteers. A professional takes on the role of instructor or mentor to support the volunteers.

Training days and seminars

In the course of their service, the volunteers generally acquire a trainer’s licence, and often also a youth leader’s licence. Many agencies offer additional programmes, such as coaching licences or club manager licences. The agency is responsible for this. This training qualifies the volunteers to be employed to look after groups. Therefore, the voluntary service in sport provides the club with a good way of recruiting and training staff for the growing volume of tasks related to looking after children and young people. Experience shows that volunteers retain a loyalty to the club after the end of the year – and former volunteers are much more likely to be willing to take up a voluntary position in the club in later years than other young people.
There are special training programmes for volunteers over 26.

Duration, bureaucracy, costs

The voluntary service generally begins of 1 September each year. It lasts a minimum of six and a maximum of 18 months. During the year, volunteers are entitled to training days and holiday. All the bureaucratic formalities are undertaken by the responsible agency, generally the state youth sports association. The place of assignment shares in the costs.

If you want to create a volunteering placement at your club or association, get in touch with the relevant contacts in your federal state or at your central association.