How Sports Event Volunteer Management Affects Volunteers’ Satisfaction and Engagement: The Mediating Role of Social Capital

Abstract

This study investigated the role of social capital in the relationship between sports event volunteer management and volunteers’ attitude and behavior. Social capital was discovered to mediate the relationships of sports event volunteer management with volunteers’ satisfaction and work engagement. These relationships were empirically examined by conducting a survey of 303 volunteers from the 2016 Wuhan Open and 2016 Wuhan Marathon. The results revealed that sports event management practices, namely training and working conditions, significantly affected the volunteers’ social capital. The social capital of the sports event volunteers significantly affected their satisfaction and work engagement. The volunteers’ social capital promoted their satisfaction and engagement only if sports event volunteer management practices effectively enhanced their social capital. This study provides recommendations to help sports event organizers motivate volunteers.