The volunteer legacy of a major sport event

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand the volunteer legacy of a major sport event and identify aspects of the event that shaped future voluntary action in the host community. Social exchange theory framed the examination of volunteers’ positive and negative experiences with the event as a predictor of future behavioral intentions. A total of 1098 volunteers involved with the 2001 Canada Summer Games completed a post‐event survey. In general, planning volunteers’ future volunteering was particularly influenced by experienced costs of the event (task overload, personal inconvenience), although contributing to the community and a positive life experience were also predictive of their future involvement. In contrast, on‐site volunteers’ future volunteering was more influenced by experienced benefits of the event, including social enrichment, community contribution, and a positive life experience. However, personal inconvenience and task underload were also predictive of their future involvement. The findings have implications for event policy and management that should acknowledge the potential for major sport events to engender a legacy of volunteering.