Volunteering within community sports clubs can often be perceived as “just giving something back” or “doing your bit” though a dangerous perception is that “nobody else is going to do it”. But volunteering actually provides a great opportunity for individuals to build great friendships, learn new skills and also in helping people to gain confidence and potentially lead to happier and healthier lives.

Fundamentally though it is about making a difference for others through sharing skills and knowledge, in providing positive support and motivation and, in the context of the Glenrothes Gladiators, enabling many people (young and old) to unlock a passion and love for cricket through supporting healthy lives, by building a culture of fun, enjoyment and respect and empowering young people to be the best they can be.

We are committed to enhancing sporting and community engagement opportunities for all within the Gladiators, which includes ensuring that we provide a volunteering pathway that is underpinned by clarity in roles, expectations and support mechanisms but more fundamentally provides a rewarding experience for the individuals who give up their time freely to support others.

Today we release our Volunteer Policy, which sets out how we aim to engage, support and develop the skills and confidence of our fantastic volunteers - further information available from our Volunteers section.

This is also accompanied by our thought-piece (see attached document) on what volunteering really means for us and how we aim to build an engaged, inclusive and enthusiastic volunteer support culture within the Glenrothes Gladiators. So what do you think? How can volunteering structures best be focused to provide the best environment for everyone? What can we do to improve our approaches further? How can you get involved to make a difference?