“It was all ‘smile for Dunedin!”’: Event Volunteer Experiences at the 2006 New Zealand Masters Games

The increasing reliance on volunteers by sport events has led to interest in this aspect of volunteering. The purpose of this research was to develop and utilise a conceptual framework based on the critical paradigm to examine multiple meanings associated one aspect of the sport event volunteer experience, volunteer training and associated learning. Using the critical tools of de-naturalisation, anti-performativity, and reflexivity, the study considered this aspect of volunteering from both volunteer and co-ordinator standpoints. Qualitative research methods were undertaken to examine training and learning experiences of volunteers at the ACC ThinkSafe. Sixteen volunteers were interviewed in four focus groups. The volunteer co-ordination team were interviewed in a fifth focus group. Co-ordinators’ and volunteers experiences of generic training, the need for role related training, and informal learning opportunities were analysed. It was found that, in order for learning to be an integral part of the volunteer experience, training needs to be re-conceptualised to explicitly include learning. Future research is discussed, calling for further utilisation of this framework to ascertain its usefulness in examining sport event volunteers’ experiences.