Leadership and Volunteering Academy

The Northamptonshire Sport Leadership and Volunteering Academy runs across the county to help young people to develop their sports leadership skills and take them a step further by applying them through community based volunteering.

Key links:

Step into Sport Volunteer Passport

Sporting Volunteers Registration

Sporting Volunteer Opportunity Search

Competition Calendar

Joining the Leadership and Volunteering Academy

Belonging to a Leadership Academy means that you will receive a structured programme of support, courses and opportunities but in a way that you can tailor to your individual interests.
To complete the Leadership and Volunteering Academy you will need to complete 10 interventions, log them on your intervention card and return it to Northmptonshire Sport. Interventions are courses, workshops and other opportunities for young people to learn and receive mentoring.

The 10 interventions comprise

5 x Core Academy interventions
2 x Supporting a competition or event
2 x Sport specific intervention
1 x Community Volunteering Placement

Core Academies:

Core Academies run in :

Corby Oundle and Thrapston School Sport Partnership
Kettering School Sport Partnership
Wellingborough and East Northants School Sport Partnership
Northampton School Sport Partnership
South Northants and Daventry School Sport Partnership

The Core Academies provide a range of courses that apply to a range of sports and situations. The courses offered are based around local need and the interests of the group. The core academies also provide an opportunity for leaders to come together as a group and receive mentoring and support.
All applications and selection for the Leadership Academy go through the core academies.

Supporting Competitions and Events:

Hundreds of sports competitions and events take place across the county every year. Helping out at an event is a great way to apply leadership skills as well as having a great time.
Members of the Leadership Academy are encouraged to attend one local event, for example within an SSP, and one county wide event such as county championships.
You can see a calendar of the School competitions and festivals here. If you would like to volunteer at one, speak to your Academy mentor.
You can find other event volunteering opportunities through the Sporting Volunteers Opportunity Search.

Sport Specific Interventions:

Sport specific interventions may include level 1 courses, leadership 'bolt-ons', mentoring or workshops.
A list of sport specific courses can be found here. If you can't find what you're looking for then talk to the mentor of your core academy or email volunteer@northamptonshiresprt.org.
Please note that there may be some cost associated with sport specific courses. For financial support for coaching courses please see the coach scholarship scheme.

The following sports are offering Sport Specific Academies:

Basketball
Cricket
Football
Gymnastics
Table Tennis

Sport Specific Academies provide members with a mentor from the sport and a programme of training opportunities specific to the sport. Where requested Sport Specific Academies will also support young people in finding a community volunteering placement.

Community Volunteering Placement:

The community volunteering placement is an essential part of the Leadership and Volunteering Academy and all members of the academy are expected to find a placement.

There are lots of ways that you can find a volunteering placement:

If you are already involved with a club, ask the head coach or committee if there is anything you can get involved with.
Register with Sporting Volunteers, search the list of current opportunities and receive notification of future volunteering opportunities.
If you need further help, contact the Volunteer Development Officer at volunteer@northamptonshire.gov.uk or call 01604 236215.

Log your volunteering hours

Whether you want to develop your CV or just be able to look back at your achievements, keeping a log of your volunteering is essential. The Step Into Sport Volunteer Passport makes logging your volunteering easy. If you haven't already registered, speak to your Academy mentor to receive your registration code.
The Volunteer Passport allows you to log sports volunteering both at school and in the community and receive certificates at 50, 100 and 200 hours. In addition to receiving recognition through this nationally recognized scheme, leaders that successfully reach a volunteering milestone will be celebrated on this website.