Gooch Praises Volunteers
Graham Gooch OBE. AFP PHOTO/ JOHN D MCHUGH/AFP/Getty Images
As Year of the Volunteer Sport Month drew to a close, Sport England and its partners were celebrating the role played by 5.8 million sports volunteers and looking forward a positive future for sports volunteering. Many sporting heroes have spoken of the debt they owe to sports volunteers, and how they are supporting the next generation of
champions.
Currently sports volunteers give 1.2 billion hours per year which
equates to 720,000 full time paid workers. Volunteers give their time in
very different ways from coaching to driving to organizing events or
refereeing or fundraising.
Many of our cricket's greatest sporting ambassadors have added their
thanks to the tireless efforts of sports' unsung heroes and heroines.
Graham Gooch, former England cricketer is involved in the Sport
Champions scheme which brings sports stars into schools and communities
to inspire young people, and the volunteers who help them. Says Graham:
"Being a cricketer, early on in your career you are very dependent on
volunteers and helpers to assist with both training and competitions. A
big thank you to all sports volunteers out there they are making a huge
difference to cricket!"
Volunteers like: 18 year old Victoria Warner. "I enjoyed cricket from a
young age;" says Victoria. "I played for Barnt Green and later for
Worcester County Girls team where I had the opportunity to travel all
over England to play matches. I now coach cricket because I wanted to
help other girls to have a go."
Lifelong cricket fan Brian Relf has bowled over the cricket community in
Loughborough, by giving up his free time to serve Loughborough Carillon
Cricket Club for over 30 years. He has given thousands of hours to the
club, whilst working.
Roger Draper Chief Executive, Sport England says: "Most sports clubs and
organisations in our communities rely on the support of volunteers. As
well as helping to make all sorts of sports and active leisure
activities open to as many people as possible, sports volunteers have a
huge impact on our future champions. We owe them so much."
