Friday Facts: Much ado about Cricket- not a blog about sport

Australians love sport. We are passionate about our place in the Olympics, world soccer, rugby and swimming events- and cricket. Cricket a game brought by the English to Aussie shores has occupied a central place in our backyards, public parks and beaches for decades.

Yet, in a fascinating survey conducted last year by the Sports Industry Research Council found there is a significant decline in cricket participation in Australia. This surely is a akin to the French losing interest in food or the Swiss giving up on punctuality!

The parallels with volunteering participation are uncanny.

• For the “Older Generation" - Australians aged over 60: Cricket is their number One sport of interest with 39% of that generation  interested in cricket.
• For Baby boomers -45-59 years of age approximately, cricket was also their Number One sport (36%)
• For generation Y (5 to 29 year olds) and I Generation (under 15) cricket is nowhere in their top five sports.

Cricket Australia are rightfully concerned and have announced proposals to replace Saturday morning cricket matches ( sacred in the Australia calendar for over 130 years) with “crisper, more time friendly family schedules” which will feature shorter mid week and afternoon games.

Traditional Volunteer based agencies in Australia and other countries have anecdotally been struggling to get younger people to volunteer.

How do we replace what happens now in volunteering with “crisper, more time friendly family schedules” Volunteering to attract younger people needs to be:

• marketed differently- the images, role descriptions, and goals need to be in modern language with images of multi generational volunteers,. 
• Young people will not generally volunteer for programs which are considered to be full of “old” or senior volunteers
• marketed electronically -websites and face-book need to be fresh, in touch and
• communicated about electronically
• provide volunteer opportunities that are short in length of time and short in duration e.g. one month or three or six instead of one, three or six years
• welcoming – treat young people as equals
• give feedback
• provide proof of volunteer involvement with skills utilised/developed
• accept feedback and implement it
• operate efficiently 
• operate ethically
• include environmental practices in operations

Just as cricket may change drastically to keep people engaged, involved and interested, so must volunteering.