I’m Aidan Smith, 18 years of age and I am from Derbyshire in the East Midlands. I am currently a level 2 athletics field judge and have been volunteering for 5 years. I have a wide variety of knowledge in sport playing football, cricket and participating in athletics from a young age.

The reason why I joined YAG was because I have a passion for sport and I want to make athletics the best it possibly can be, involving as many people as possible in all areas of the sport.

Aidan’s Blog

Hey I’m Aidan,

For me, a main issue regarding young people volunteering within sport is them not having enough time at a weekend to do it. This is due to them participating in sport themselves. Although this is a good reason, there are still many different ways to be involved in volunteering.

This is a similar problem that occurs within my life because I play a lot of sport all year round. The way that I get around the problem is by trying to attend sports events mid week, which are mainly secondary and primary school events, such as sports hall athletics and disability multi sports. By attending these events it helps me to keep my voluntary working hours up and also gives me the satisfaction of knowing that I have helped people participate in sport and make them happy, which as a volunteer is one of the main purposes. I find giving back through volunteering really rewarding and some of my favourite sporting moments are in the volunteering capacity.

The best way to get involved in this kind of volunteering within athletics is to speak to an official or coach at your club. However, if that is not possible, then speak to your districts school sports partnership manager or even the area CCSO! (Club Coach Support Officer).

I’m sure many of you would agree, once you take part in the volunteering process, you will be gripped on it. So, go get a taste of volunteering and step up your involvement. You never know, I might even see you at the next one!