Voluntarism in Swedish sport management; the pros, the cons, the risks

Anders Östnäs
Lund University

The book Jag ställer upp!: Om framtiden för ett ideellt idrottsengagemang under press [Count me in! About the future of voluntary sports commitment under pressure] is an anthology with Johan R. Norberg, researcher at the Swedish Research Council for Sport Science (CIF), as the lead for analysis and conclusions. It is an assignment which CIF has been given, to carry out an in-depth analysis of voluntarism within the sports movement over time and for future challenges. The report comprises seven chapters:

• • Idealism in the sports movement then and now (Johan Vamstad, Johan von Essen, Ebba Henrekson & Erik Lundberg)
  • Today’s young people on voluntary commitment (Jessica Åkerström)
  • Leadership recruitment is easy – and difficult (Karin Redelius & Magnus Kilger)
  • The downsides of voluntarism in sports involvement (Jonas Stier)
  • Voluntary work and the challenges for the sports movement (Johan Vamstad, Johan von Essen, Erik Lundberg & Ebba Henrekson)
  • Sport and parenthood in a new country (Darun Jaf, Stefan Wagnsson, Louise Davis & Camilla Knight)
  • Our time is now (Andreas Linderyd)

The book is about Sweden’s largest popular movement, which is based on children’s and youth sports. Around 850,000 individuals have leadership positions in sports clubs. This phenomenal force is fundamental to the entire sports movement. Idealism itself is an integral part of the ideology and self-image of the broad popular sports movement.

So, what does voluntary commitment mean? It means, among other things, being part of a social context. Here one can refer to the American political scientist Robert D. Putnam, who believes that trust in the form of social community is a foundation for a functioning democratic society. At the same time, the voluntary commitment is put under pressure. People’s engagement is challenged by everyday chores, while social media increasingly intervenes in people’s everyday lives. How will voluntarism develop in the long term?

The fact that the commitment may include decision-making can cause conflicts within the association – especially if your own child is involved.

More community – less benefit to society

The first two chapters deal with what the voluntary commitment looks like over time and a offer a comparison between the sports movement and commitment to other non-profit (social) movements. Jessica Åkerström is head of analysis at the Youth Barometer, which in 2024 was given the opportunity to include sports involvement in the analysis. A total of 17,445 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 participated in the overall study, of which 1,533 answered specific questions about voluntary engagement. The report shows that 38 percent receive some compensation for their commitment, which was previously seen as unpaid work. This is partly supported by Åkerström – the economy has become part of the engagement in a clearer way than before. Åkerström brings up some advice to strengthen engagement:

• • clarify what is meant by voluntary commitment;
  • safeguard the need for social community and security;
  • strengthen the opportunity for club sports to create a sense of belonging.

Challenges for voluntary engagement

One of the central questions is what qualities the sport associations believe unpaid leaders should possess. In their chapter, Redelius & Kilger argue that it is difficult to answer the question – leadership can take different forms. The most common form of leader is the parent coach, who takes on the task because their own children are involved in sports. The result, which is based on interviews with 15 association representatives, shows that it is easier to recruit leaders among parents come from socio-economically strong strata in society. In short: recruitment has a class character. Financial compensation also plays some minor role here, as well as the children being at the forefront in terms of ambition and degree of development. In addition to the parent coach, youth atletes are an important category. They often receive some financial compensation for their efforts. These young people can see their assignments as temporary, but also as a stepping stone to bigger tasks – perhaps a career as an elite coach. A third category is the professional coaches who are employed by the club in varying degrees. They take care of the elite athletes within the club and, where applicable, club academies.

In summary, Redelius & Kilger note that the main challenge is not the recruitment itself, but to get the right leaders, i.e., people with both experience of children and the sport in question. Here, other positions become important, such as club board work.

The downsides of voluntary involvement

It is not wholly positive to be voluntarily engaged. Jonas Stier highlights one of the downsides of a more structural nature – people simply don’t have the time. Today it is difficult to make the puzzle of life fit together. In the worst case, the lack of time can lead to stress and ill health. The fact that the commitment may include decision-making can cause conflicts within the association – especially if your own child is involved. The conflicts can be of both a physical and a mental nature. The former type of conflict is less common in Swedish sports clubs, while threats and harassment are more common. It is important for the sports movement to counteract these negative tendencies. An association must work for openness and create democratic forms of operation, where self-criticism, sanctions and support for those affected by the downsides of sport are important.

Research on civil society

Researchers at Marie Cederschiöld University College have studied the development of Swedish civil society and related it to Swedish club sports. The researchers note that voluntary work in club sports is stable, but that professionalism is increasingly challenging unpaid work. This is largely a middle-class phenomenon. What is central is the value you place on voluntarism in sport management.

Association sports for everyone

Based on what has been said above, club sports in Sweden are characterized by middle class values. But what happens to our immigrants? Sports are often seen as an arena for integration, since the values of sport are largely global. For instance, many years ago I took a train to Prague and met a fellow Czechoslovak passenger. We tried to communicate without knowing each other’s language. But there was a common denominator – the interest in sports, and especially ice hockey. I mentioned Tumba and he replied with Nedomansky and Golonka. And on that path our communication continued with the help of a few supporting words in English. We had a fun and intense train ride together.

For immigrants, it can take time to get to grips with Swedish organized sports. On the other hand, sport has the advantage that its values are largely shared by both indigenous athletes and administrators, and immigrants. However, this works differently for young people and their parents. Young people generally learn the Swedish language more easily, for example through school and, by extension, through sport associations. Thus it is important to involve the parents.

The sports club as a base for democracy development

What is the significance of the sports association for democracy in society? From a global perspective, democracy in many societies is under pressure. And what does it look like in Sweden? It has been mentioned earlier that the Swedish sports movement is largely based on the middle class, our immigrants have difficulties, for various reasons, in taking part in the unpaid work of sports (although easier for the younger generation), while at the same time as there is a generational change. There is more talk about values than about democracy. How does the sports movement compensate for a weakened democracy? In general, issues of democracy are discussed less often within the sports movement. And this also applies to civil society to a large extent. We are in worrying times with Trump and Putin as the main “troublemakers”.

In an article in Fokus (21–27 August 2025), the organizational researcher professor Mats Alvesson says that “it’s time to do away with the insanity of values”. All authorities, municipalities, companies and even the sports movement must have, and currently have, a formulated set of values. According to Alvesson, this is madness. These are empty words, which have no practical meaning. Research shows that it is often an exercise in hypocrisy, symbolic politics without effect and consequence. Work on basic values should be replaced by professionalism and common sense. I am inclined to agree with Alvesson.

Conclusion

The Swedish sports movement is largely based on voluntarism – often parents (usually men) or young people who volunteer as coaches, officials and generally helping out in the everyday running of the sports club. In the parents’ case, leadership is often linked to their own children, which has the weakness that when the children leave, the parents’ involvement ceases, leading to a lack of continuity. And what does the future look like? Will today’s young people become tomorrow’s unpaid leaders? If so, club membership must also be more clearly defined.

The report chooses to summarize with three pieces of advice:

• • Increase awareness of the role of voluntary involvement in the activities of the sports movement.
  • Formulate clear arguments for the importance of voluntary involvement for sport, individuals a nd society.
  • Initiate a discussion within the sports movement about the consequences of ongoing professionalization and commercialization processes.

Copyright © Anders Östnäs 2025