Youth sport volunteer coach motivation.Each year, over 20 million youth participate in sport (Ewing & Seefeldt, 2002). Public parks and recreation agencies are increasingly reliant on volunteers to deliver services (Silverberg, Backman, & Backman, 2000). These volunteers are especially vital to the delivery of youth recreation and sport programs (Twyam, Ferrell, & Johnston, 2002/2003). Volunteer positions in sport programs, especially coach positions, are difficult to fill (Cuskelly, Taylor, Hoye, & Darcy, 2006), and the retention of youth coaches is low (Paiement, 2007). The purpose of this study was to understand the motivations of youth sport coaches. A convenience sample of youth sport coaches completed the Volunteer Functions Inventory that measures motivations, along with demographic information. Results indicated that values were the most important function for youth sport coaches. A MANOVA revealed significant differences between first year and returning coaches for the functions of self-serving and personal growth but not for values and social. Implications for the recruitment and retention of youth sport coaches and future research are provided.
