SPORT MANAGEMENT STUDENTS' VOLUNTEERING MOTIVATION IN SPORT EVENTS: THE CASE OF THE SPORT MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT IN SPARTA, GREECE

Authors

  • Angeliki Fotiou Department of Sport Organization and Management, University of the Peloponnese, Sparta, Greece
  • Yannis Georgiou School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejpe.v13i4.6702

Keywords:

volunteer, athletic activity, motivations

Abstract

This research aimed to examine the motivations of students and graduates for volunteering in various events and to determine whether these motivations differ according to specific social and demographic characteristics. The sample comprised 102 students and graduates from the Department of Sports Organization and Management at the University of the Peloponnese, including 53 women (52%) and 49 men (48%). The Volunteer Motivation Questionnaire by Strigas (2001) was employed, consisting of 30 questions grouped into five factors: Social/Recreational (11 questions), Egoistic (5 questions), Materialistic (7 questions), Expediency (4 questions), and External (3 questions). Independent variables included gender, education level (student or graduate), family income, place of residence until adulthood, employment status, type of employment, involvement in sports, participation in other voluntary activities, and parental education levels. The findings indicate that women and individuals engaged in voluntary activities are more strongly motivated by social, recreational, and egoistic factors. Students, non-workers, part-time workers, and those with lower incomes are more influenced by the Materialistic factor, whereas Purposefulness is a primary motivator for full-time workers. The External factor is particularly significant for those involved exclusively in sports and voluntary activities. These results may inform strategies to encourage greater student participation in sports volunteer activities by leveraging relevant incentives.

Author Biographies

  • Angeliki Fotiou, Department of Sport Organization and Management, University of the Peloponnese, Sparta, Greece

    Angeliki Fotiou is a BA holder in Business Administration of the Hellenic Open University, a BA holder in Sports Organization and Management of the University of the Peloponnese and a MSc holder in Information Systems Management and Digital Transformation of the Harokopeio University of Athens. Her scientific and research interests are in Sport Management and consumer behavior in sports. She has participated in several conferences and published in a number of scientific journals and conference proceedings.

  • Yannis Georgiou, School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

    Yannis Georgiou is a PhD holder of Sport Sociology at the School of Physical Education and Sport Science (SPESS) of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece (NKUA). After his studies in Sports Management, Exercise and Quality of Life, in Dietetics and Sport Nutrition, and in Sport Sociology, at the University of Peloponnese, Democritus University of Thrace, Harokopeio University of Athens, and the NKUA, from where he received four respective master’s degrees. Yannis turned his research interest to investigating running movement in Greece in relation to various sociological variables, from the perspective of systemic theory as a distinct social system. His scientific and research interests are in Sport Sociology and Sport Management. He has participated in several conferences as a speaker and published in a number of scientific journals and conference proceedings.

References

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Published

2026-05-08

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 4 (2026)

Section

Articles

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