Football Matters: Help us create a Euro 2020 showpiece

Susan Couper – Senior Recruitment and Volunteer Manager for UEFA Euro 2020
Volunteers are the lifeblood of football in this country and we’re now beginning the search for a once-in-a-lifetime experience when UEFA Euro 2020 comes to London.
UEFA are marking the 60th anniversary of the European Championships by making it a ‘Euro for Europe’.
For the first time, the games will be played across 12 host countries and cities to showcase the continent’s top talent.
Wembley Stadium will be staging seven games – three group games, a last 16 match before the two semi-finals and the showpiece final.
It’s my team’s responsibility to recruit 1,300 volunteers to help deliver a special experience at those games.
We know the hours of dedication and commitment being put in at Non-League and grassroots clubs throughout the country every week – they are exactly the type of people we are looking for.
Ultimately the programme is open to everybody. Over the next few months, we will be promoting and making everybody aware of the opportunity to be involved.
It’s going to be the first major football tournament in this country since 1996.
We’ve been privileged in recent years with London and England hosting some amazing international sporting events. It’s a wonderful chance to show off our country, the city of London, our people, culture and diversity. The country really got behind the World Cup last summer and hopefully that will be the same for UEFA EURO 2020.
We all saw the success of the Games Makers at the London Olympics & Paralympics but it’s also the legacy volunteers that have got involved in various programmes since then.
Our aim with UEFA EURO 2020 is get a good mix of people who are already volunteering week-in, week-out in the grassroots game as well as trying to introduce some fresh volunteering blood into our game – then hopefully after the tournament they are inspired to go back and volunteer at their community clubs.
Volunteering means different things to different people. Being part of a major sporting event like this, volunteers are potentially going to meet people from all over Europe while being an ambassador for their city or county.
It’s also an opportunity for the volunteers to promote their clubs and the work they’re doing there.
If they’re meeting new people they can encourage people to sign up for their own local teams.
Volunteers are required to be available for all of seven match days as a minimum, with some roles requiring people to be available for longer.
Around 400 of the 1,300 volunteers we’re recruiting will be for spectator services.
It’s not to say it will be exactly the same, but if you think back to the Olympics and Paralympics, it’s like the Games Makers with the big foam fingers, sitting in the high chairs with megaphones, building the atmosphere – all to make it different from a normal match day at Wembley Stadium.
We then require about 150 drivers to take guests and visitors from A to B in the tournament vehicles. At the other end of the spectrum there are some really specialists roles, some that may really appeal to people currently involved in the game.
Match management, venue management, media services and broadcast services to name a few. It will be really helpful to have that knowledge from the football family.
In all, we have around 1,300 roles covering a wide range of aspects, including ceremonies, protocol, guest management through to sustainability, legal, logistics, technology – there really is something for everyone.
In addition, the Mayor of London and City Hall are also recruiting 2,000 volunteers. They will have a similar role to those we’re recruiting but they’ll be based in fan zones and at transport hubs.
When the world is arriving they’ll be able to share information about Wembley and the tournament, but also London in general.
When volunteers apply in June they can choose their preferred three teams. You want volunteers to feel valued and that they are adding value.
We want people who are happy and who are excited to be part of this special summer of football.
It’s about their positivity, communication and being an ambassador for London – and the game of football as a whole.
Interested in applying to volunteer at UEFA EURO 2020? Visit the volunteer website to register your interest and enter the code NLP http://www.thefa.com/competitions/uefa-euro-2020
Applications go live in June but you can now complete a form to register your interest – it takes seconds.
Once we’ve received all the applications we will run a volunteer interview centre at Wembley Stadium for a 30-minute interview.
By January 2020 we’ll have everyone confirmed and training will begin – with some online learning at home – from March before a big kick-off event to celebrate all 1,300 volunteers.
Everyone will be also issued with a full adidas uniform – I’ve seen a sneak preview and they look really good. Visit thefa.com to find out more.
Key dates:
June 2019 – Applications open
July-November 2019 – Interview Phase
January 2020 – Volunteers confirmed
March-May 2020 – Training phase
May-July 2020 – Volunteers Active
Wembley games:
Group Game 1 Sunday, June 14 (kick-off TBC)
Group Game 2 Friday, June 19 (kick-off TBC)
Group Game 3 Tuesday, June 23 (kick-off TBC)
Last 16 Game Saturday, June 27 (kick-off TBC)
Semi-final Tuesday, July 7 (kick-off 8pm)
Semi-final 2 Wednesday, July 8 (kick-off 8pm)
Final Sunday, July 12 (kick-off 8pm)