Abstract
This research explored the role and operational importance of volunteers within grassroots football clubs in West Sussex. The study aimed to understand how clubs recruit and retain volunteers along with the roles and responsibilities assigned to them and whether it is sustainable for clubs to strategically plan future goals when relying on a committee of volunteers. As part of the data collection, six semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals working within the hierarchy of local football clubs in West Sussex. The data was then analysed using a thematic analysis, identifying five key themes from the participants’ responses: operational reliance on volunteers, recruitment and retention challenges, community and volunteer motivation, structural and financial limitations and volunteer commitment and sustainability. The findings outlined the importance of volunteers to grassroot football clubs, advancing past existing literature, which suggest they provide support to organisations, but demonstrating a reliance on them in the day-to-day functioning. The study also identifies the disadvantages from poor recruitment strategies, where the same group of individuals must move beyond their assigned role to support with tasks which need to be completed for the club’s functioning. The study concludes that while volunteers are crucial to grassroots football teams, long-term viability requires improved recruitment strategies, more transparent role sharing and increased support for already established volunteers. This indicates the necessity of treating volunteer management as a crucial component of long-term operational planning in grassroot football clubs more broadly