A total of 15 000 volunteers are needed for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the local organising committee (LOC) said on Monday as the application process opened.
”The volunteer programme is an excellent way to get involved in South Africa and Africa’s once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of hosting the world’s biggest sporting event,” said LOC head Danny Jordaan.
”From ushering people to their seats, to assisting the media and foreign language speakers, welcoming people at the airport and driving guests around, it is the volunteers that actually make the tournament happen,” he said in a statement.
Volunteers would be recruited from across South Africa, the continent and the rest of the world. They would help with tasks like accreditation, marketing, media and protocol services, welcoming and ushering spectators and providing them and other people involved in the event with information.
Multilingual volunteers will also be needed. Logistical and administrative matters, including transportation, information technology and telecommunications, will also need volunteers.
Anyone 18 years or older on March 1 2010, and who has a good command of the English language, can apply. Application forms are available on the Fifa website or at a number of venues across the Cup’s host cities.
Information on these venues and any other volunteer information can be obtained by calling the volunteer toll-free hotline on 0800 52 52 52, or emailing [email protected].
Applications close on August 31 2009. The LOC’s volunteer department will then conduct interviews with pre-selected applicants in January and February 2010.
Foreign pre-selected applicants will have telephonic interviews. — Sapa