When looking at the transfer fees being spent by football clubs and the salaries paid to the world's top sporting stars, it is clear that sport, at the top level at least, is very big business. Sponsorship, merchandising and broadcasting revenues are growing all the time, but is grassroots sport benefiting in proportion?

To put it into perspective, the fee paid by PSG to Barcelona to acquire Brazilian footballer Neymar is the equivalent to building around 14,000 lanes of cricket nets or 400 artificial grass pitches, with his reported salary paying for another 80 pitches per year. And anyone who is involved in winter sports activity will understand the challenges of playing knee deep in mud because the availability of artificial surfaces or indoor space is very limited. There is no doubt Neymar is a fine player but is anyone's transfer fee worth the equivalent of 13 million player hours on a 3G pitch or 87 million player hours in a cricket net (per year for 10 years)?

As staggering as those numbers are, the vast majority of us are not in a position to directly influence where money in sport ends up. For most of us, it's actions rather than words that makes the difference at grassroots sport to those children starting out today. And we can all do our bit in different ways......

1) Volunteering

The first way that anyone can help is through volunteering whether that be on the field, off the field or both. On the field, the experience of coaching is extremely rewarding. Not only are coaches passing on their valuable knowledge, but they are also in a position of responsibility as a role model. Sport's core values of fair play, sportmanship, teamwork, enjoyment, respect and discipline are great examples of where the association with a sport can help a player (& coach!) to develop life skills far beyond what they do on the field.

Helping on the field need not be daunting. The support framework of coaching courses, online learning and resources available to coaches in most sports is better than ever. Whether an occasional helper, a lead coach or a team manager, there is a role for anyone who wants to get involved. It isn't about being a technical expert in the sport in question – all that's required a passion to help others, energy and good communication skills. As a coach or parent helper, the measure of success isn't how many international superstars are produced by your coaching but how many children come back the next week because they are enjoying it.

If you prefer to show your support off the field, each club or team also have a number of roles that range from admin support, treasurer, social secretary or player recruitment, to name but a few.

2) Business Support

The second way to get involved is through your business. Whether you own your business or not, there are many ways to get involved.....

Sponsorship is an obvious starting point but it doesn't have to be a donation without return. Done well, sponsorship can provide real business benefits. For example, most clubs will have an online presence and database which can provide some direct local marketing contacts. There are also branding opportunities on match kits, training kit, advertising boards, clubhouse, programmes and festivals. Information on Georgians Sponsorship here.

If sponsorship isn't a viable option, there are many other ways to consider supporting a local club, including:

Events space - most clubs have outdoor and indoor space with facilities that can be hired. Not only will this cost less than a traditional events venue but you are directly supporting grassroots sport. Information on booking an Events Space at Georgians can be found here
Volunteer employee time - as part of an existing Corporate Social Responsibility or a new initiative, most clubs will welcome assistance for everything from practical activity (upgrading, painting and tidying facilities) to mentoring support for their volunteers and members.
Mentoring - offering work experience, apprenticeships or job search assistance to older junior club members as they prepare to enter the work place.

Whichever path is chosen, there will also be many indirect benefits from being associated to a local sports clubs such as finding future employees, networking with other business people and the positive PR associated with promoting the relationship within and outside your organisation. Whatever the motivation, objectives or business case, a good partnership with grassroots sport can be a hugely positive step for your business to take.

Why get involved? A personal perspective...

As a parent of three children who all play several sports, a volunteer coach of several teams and a member of the local business community, I have long been a supporter of connecting local business and grassroots sports. I am often asked why I spend so much time on my sporting volunteering commitments and there are generally three reasons:

Firstly, from a personal perspective, I believe strongly in giving something back to a sport which I have enjoyed so much and through which I see the positive personal development my children are experiencing from being involved in a team and a club. No doubt this is echoed by the thousands of volunteers who do the same, week in, week out.

Secondly, in an age where our community ethos & spirit is under great pressure, cross society engagement appears to be on the decline and social isolation is on the increase, we need to do our utmost to support anything that brings us together.

Finally, from a business perspective, I have seen first-hand the networking opportunities created through having grassroots sport in common and the positivity associated with any business that supports their local clubs.

My advice to anyone who wants to get involved through volunteering or through their business is simply to go for it. Start by reaching out to your local sports club and just ask them what you can do to help.

Ray Bell
Stockport Georgians Cricket Club (U11s Girls, U13s Girls, Womens 1st & 2nd XI)
Stockport Rugby Club (U13s Boys, Womens XV, O2 Touch)