Are you excited about the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ coming to your city, and do you want to be more than just a spectator? Then why not think about becoming a volunteer?

In order for the World Cup to be a success, the organisers are relying on the backing of all the people of South Africa, but especially the volunteers, who will be the public face of the tournament.

Volunteers will play a vital role in all aspects of the FIFA World Cup™, assisting in aspects such as transport, media, safety and security, protocol, and many others.

The Volunteer Programme also aims to bring people from all walks of life together to lend a helping hand in staging the event, and also provide them with a sense of ownership of it.
There will be about 15,000 volunteer positions in 2010. The programme is open to people from around the world, and given the strong response to the Confederations Cup volunteer programme (where 40,000 applied for 4,000 positions), there is likely to be strong interest in the programme.

There is also a separate Youth Programme, providing young people an opportunity to be involved in the World Cup. They can become flag bearers, player escorts and ball kids.
Registration for the Volunteers Programme starts in July 2009.

Requirements for volunteers:

• 18 years of age by 1 March 2010
• Must speak good English
• South African citizens require a valid ID
• Foreign citizens must be in possession of a valid passport and a special permit for being a volunteer for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the period 1 June to 16 July 2010

Application process

Volunteers can apply on the internet between Monday 20 July 2009 and Monday 31 August 2009. Should interested volunteer candidates miss this two-month period, they would have missed the opportunity and there will not be any extension.

Application Venues

For those who don't have access to the internet, the nine host cities and Umsobomvu Youth Fund Centres will provide access venues based across the cities where candidates could go and apply. The following information will assist you if you plan to make use of these venues:

• Access venues will be open during office hours
• Each access venue will have a member that will assist with completing the application form.
• The list of the Access Venues will be made available on this page and local media closer to the application date and during the period of application.

Recruitment

Approximately 15,000 volunteers will ultimately be selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The pre-selected volunteers will go through security screening before they are interviewed. Those that are selected will then have training to understand the event and be able to provide a good service to officials and spectators. This includes event training, country knowledge, customer service, venue and job-specific training.

Training will happen in March and April 2010.

For more information on becoming a volunteer, look at FIFA's Volunteer Programme website at http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/organisation/volunteers/index.html.
You can also call 0800 52 52 52 (toll free in South Africa) or e-mail volunteerprogramme@2010oc.com.