Sport England has invested £93,000 of exchequer funds in Volunteering England to encourage sports volunteering. The move comes in advance of the London 2012 Olympics volunteering strategy announcement in July.

Findings from the recently released Department for Communities and Local Government’s Citizenship Survey showed that more people volunteer in sports than any other area: 53% of the adults volunteering formally do so in sport. Sport England also recently revealed that 1.97m adults contribute at least one hour a week to volunteering in sport, equivalent to a full time workforce of over 80,000 people. 

The Sport England funding will be invested in volunteer centres in every English region as well as to develop and raise awareness of more volunteer opportunities in sports. 

Volunteering England chief executive Justin Davis Smith said:

"I am delighted that in Volunteering England we are helping make the links between local volunteer centres and sports clubs in their communities. Mostly people get to volunteer through their friendships and networks where they live. Volunteer centres are really important in creating the conditions locally which will help sports clubs involve more volunteers."

Volunteering England is currently working closely with the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to devise a volunteering strategy for the 2012 games. It recently announced a series of regional workshops to be rolled out from July 2010 which will offer over 1,000 local organisations advice of how to create volunteering opportunities related to the Olympics.

A spokesperson from LOCOG today advised that the volunteering strategy would be announced in the same month.

Minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson said:

"Volunteers are the lifeblood of grassroots sport and deserve huge recognition for the difference they make on the ground every day. Sport England’s support will help the millions of volunteers who already give their time and I hope it will inspire many more to do so."