In 2004, Griffith University, University of Technology, Sydney and LaTrobe University, in collaboration with the ARU, successfully obtained an Australian Research Council Linkage Project Grant to complete a two-year study of volunteer management practices in Australian Club Rugby - the Volunteers in Community Rugby research project . 

The overall purpose was to develop an understanding of volunteer management practices, from both organisational (club) and volunteer perspectives with the aim of identifying the factors that influence the retention of club rugby volunteers. Using a human resource management (HRM) framework, the project aimed to classify clubs throughout Australia on the basis of their self-reported volunteer management practices.

The project was conducted in four major stages:

   1. Focus group interviews with rugby club administrators;
   2. A survey of club rugby volunteer management practices (club survey);
   3. A survey of rugby club volunteers (volunteer survey); and,
   4. Case study interviews with a cross-section of rugby clubs and volunteers (case studies).

The Volunteers in Community Rugby research project was completed in April 2006.

The findings and recommendations of the research will be utiised to better understand volunteer practices and provide strategies aimed at improving the management of volunteers, the experiences of volunteers and ultimately improve volunteer retention to support sustainable growth within community rugby.

Special thanks to the many hundreds of rugby club volunteers who gave their time to participate in the focus groups, complete interviews and surveys and whose high level of cooperation made this study possible!

To download a pdf copy of the Volunteers in Community Rugby reports, select the report below. 

	Volunteers in community rugby - Final Report Ed. (863 kb) Final report "The Advantage Line" - Identifying better practice for volunteer management in community rugby clubs.
	Volunteers in community rugby - Summary Report May 2006 (273 kb) Summary report of The Advantage Line - Identifying better practice for volunteer management in community rugby clubs.
	Volunteers in community rugby - Interim Report Feb 2005 (pdf - 618 kb) An interim report for the ARU on the results of a national study of volunteer management practices in club rugby.
	source:  Rugby.com.au