City volunteer application now open in Kazan for 2017 FIFA confederations cup and 2018 FIFA world cup

A football lesson, a project launched for the purpose of raising awareness about the 2018 World Cup Russia™, was held on September 20, International University Sports Day, at Volga State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism in Kazan. The meeting organised for first-year students of the academy saw the kick-off of the City Volunteers programme. 

Today 80 freshers of Volga State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism were provided a glimpse into the 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ and the opportunity to become part of these mega events through volunteering.

Ilnur Aglyamov, a first-year Master's student, shared his impression of the meeting: “We are lucky – we’ve become students of the academy where the volunteer training centre is located. There are so many opportunities ahead of us – and volunteering, surely, is one of the most exciting ones. I major in Sports Management and for me being part of such a high-profile international event is a unique opportunity to see from inside how my profession works. You know, it’s just like at the restaurant – you can either sit and wait when you are served a ready meal or you can go to the kitchen, find out the recipe and help the chef to cook it. I think that we shouldn’t miss such an opportunity, all the more so when such opportunities pop up so close to us!”

The 2018 World Cup Russia™ Volunteer Programme has its own peculiarities and consists of two sub-programmes: OC Volunteers and City Volunteers. To a large extent, this is explained by the specific nature of the tournament where matches are held not locally, but in a number of host cities, throughout an entire country. The key difference between these two types of volunteers is that OC volunteers help to organise matches at stadiums and other venues whereas city volunteers lend their hand in staging non-sports activities that take place across host cities and are aimed at fans, the most numerous category of 2018 World Cup participants.

A total of 1,300 OC volunteers and 500 city volunteers will be recruited for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, and 1,300 OC volunteers and 1,000 city volunteers will work at the 2018 World Cup.

Volga State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism is one of 15 universities that were selected to implement the 2018 World Cup Russia™ Volunteer Programme. The volunteer centre located at the academy will conduct selection events for both sub-programmes: OC volunteers and city volunteers will be selected via one-stop system.

All those who are willing to make their contribution to the preparation and delivery of the upcoming mega football event are welcome to come and to take interviews at the volunteer centre in Kazan. The key requirements are submission of online application forms at the following websites: http://ru.fifa.com/volunteers (for OC Volunteer candidates) and http://volunteers.kazan2015.com/ (for City Volunteer candidates), and age eligibility criteria: 18 years of age or older (for the OC Volunteers programme) and 16 years of age or older (for the City Volunteers programme).

For their part, managers of volunteer centres will identify how suitable a candidate is for this or that volunteer position in view of functional managers’ eligibility requirements. They will also consult candidates on other available volunteer opportunities and tell them about benefits of joining the OC Volunteers and City Volunteers programmes. The deadlines for the OC Volunteer and City Volunteer programmes are late 2016 and June 1, 2017 respectively.

Kazan volunteers will have the first opportunity to test their skills as early as in November 2016, when the Official Draw of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup will take place. A total of 281 volunteers will be involved: it will mostly feature candidates from Kazan, representatives from Host Cities (60) and also foreign citizens. In 2017, Kazan will play host to four matches of the FIFA Confederations Cup, among them three group matches and one semifinal. As part of the 2018 World Cup, the Kazan Arena Stadium will provide the stage for four group stage matches, round of 16 and quarterfinal.