Ad hoc help vs. Permanent staff: Which model secures the volunteers of the future?

In every modern sports club, volunteers are the foundation for everything from selling sausages and ticket control to coaching and board work. However, the way we organize this workforce is undergoing rapid change. Where you could previously rely on a fixed core of volunteers who put in 10 hours a week all year round, today we see an increasing trend toward "project-oriented" volunteering.

The choice of strategy for staff planning has a direct impact on the club's operational reliability. Should you focus on the classic model with a permanent crew, or should you embrace the modern ad hoc culture? This article compares the two approaches so your club can choose the right balance.

The classic model: The permanent staff

The permanent staff consists of the volunteers who have a fixed role in the club. They are the ones who have a weekly shift in the café, those who always take care of pitch maintenance, or those who have sat on the same committee for the last five years. They are the club's memory and stability.

Advantages of permanent staff

The biggest advantage of a permanent staff is predictability. When you have dedicated people on fixed shifts, the time spent on administration and training is minimized. These volunteers know the routines inside out; they know where the keys are, how the coffee system works, and who to call if the power goes out.

In addition, the permanent staff creates strong social cohesion. The volunteers build close friendships with each other, which is often the primary driver for their engagement. For the club, this means a high degree of loyalty, where volunteers often go the extra mile in high-pressure situations.

Disadvantages and risks

Vulnerability is the biggest challenge. If a club relies exclusively on a few, permanent volunteers (the famous "old guard"), the house of cards collapses if two or three key people stop at the same time. Furthermore, a very fixed core can seem exclusionary to new blood. it can be difficult for a new parent to step into a workforce where everyone has known each other for decades and "this is how we usually do things."

The modern model: Ad hoc volunteers

The ad hoc model is based on short, defined tasks. Here, you don't recruit people for a "position," but for a specific task or a single shift. This could be a three-hour shift at the entrance to a tournament or helping to paint the clubhouse on a Saturday morning.

Advantages of the ad hoc solution

In a busy daily life, it is much easier to get people to say yes to a manageable task without a long-term commitment. Recruitment therefore becomes significantly easier when you can present a ready-made list of shifts where people simply have to put their name down once. This opens the door to a much broader group of members and parents who want to contribute but do not want to commit to fixed weekly obligations.

The ad hoc model also allows the club to scale up for major events. By having a system for rapid staff planning, you can activate 50 people for a cup match and then return to normal operations without having to maintain a huge organization on a daily basis.

Disadvantages and administrative requirements

The disadvantage is the massive administrative pressure. For every shift, a person must be found, reminders sent, and often each new volunteer requires some form of instruction. There is no natural continuity, and the risk of errors is greater when the staff is constantly changing. Without a strong digital structure to manage shifts and communication, the ad hoc model can quickly lead to chaos.

Comparison of organizational parameters

To choose the right strategy, it is necessary to look at how the two models perform across key areas of club operation.

1. Recruitment and onboarding

With permanent staff, recruitment is harder as the "barrier to entry" is high. It requires deep conversations and alignment of expectations regarding long-term engagement. Onboarding happens continuously and naturally. With the ad hoc model, recruitment is easy, but onboarding requires standardized processes (e.g., a manual or a video tutorial), as you cannot spend time training new people every single time.

2. Staff planning and administration

The permanent staff often runs on "autopilot." A shift schedule for the autumn can be made in an afternoon. The ad hoc model requires ongoing attention. Here, the need for a digital tool for shift management is essential, so that volunteers can book themselves in, swap shifts, and receive automatic SMS reminders.

3. Financial stability and operations

The permanent staff ensures stable operation, which is often reflected in the bottom line (e.g., more efficient sales in the kiosk due to routine). However, the ad hoc model can reduce costs in periods of low activity because you do not need to maintain an artificially large organization when it is not needed.

The hybrid model: The optimal solution for sports clubs?

Most successful clubs today land on a hybrid solution. Here, you combine the stability of the permanent staff with the flexibility of the ad hoc model. But how do you structure it in practice?

The core and the flexible framework

An effective model is to have "Key Personnel" (the permanent staff) and "Helpers" (ad hoc). The key personnel are the ones who have the overview. They are perhaps 10-15 people who know exactly how a match day should be executed. They act as mentors or team leaders for the changing workforce of ad hoc volunteers who perform practical, defined tasks.

Real-life example: The football club at a local derby

Imagine a club hosting a local derby with 500 spectators.

• Permanent staff: The event manager, the treasurer, and a café manager. They have planned the day weeks in advance and have overall responsibility.
• Ad hoc staff: 12 parents who have taken 2-hour shifts at the grill, the entrance, and as parking attendants. They show up, get a quick briefing from the café manager, perform their task, and go home again with a good experience.

How does your club choose the right path?

The choice depends on your club's size, ambitions, and demographics. If your club is located in an area with many families with children, you will often find that the ad hoc model is the only way to success, as parents of young children can rarely commit themselves every Tuesday from 5 PM to 9 PM.

Conversely, if you have a large proportion of mature members or retirees, the permanent staff can be your greatest asset, as this group often seeks the social community and the fixed routine that comes with a permanent task.

Checklist for evaluating your workforce management:

• Do we have too many tasks that can only be solved by one specific person? (Vulnerability alert)
• Are our shift schedules visible digitally so new people can easily sign up?
• Is there a clear "job description" for our ad hoc tasks?
• Do we make sure to appreciate both the permanent supporters and the occasional helpers?

Conclusion

There is no single right answer as to whether permanent staff or ad hoc volunteers are best. But the trend is clear: the volunteering of the future is flexible. To survive and grow, sports clubs must become masters of modern staff planning, where it is made extremely easy to say yes to a short task, while simultaneously nurturing the deep loyalty of the permanent core.

By using technology to handle the administrative burdens of ad hoc help, the club can free up time for what it is all about: creating great sports experiences and a strong community.