Read the stories of six volunteers who helped organize primary football events and learn how these reports have shaped their private and pro-life lives.
Whether it’s creating accreditation for hounds and photographers or helping enthusiasts locate the path to the stadium, volunteers play a leading role in organizing football competitions across Europe.
The German Football Federation estimated this week that of its contribution to amateur football in millions of euros, while UEFA’s 2019-24 strategy devotes a full segment to volunteers.
To mark Saturday’s International Volunteering Day for Economic and Social Development, we highlighted six football volunteers, who reveled in running with UEFA or European national football federations.
In their own words, they reveal the occult of volunteering, explaining how their private reports have helped shape their pro-lives.
Name: Peter Nederlof Age: 48 years Residence: Amstelveen, Netherlands Payments / voluntary cities in: Amsterdam, London, Warsaw, Berlin, Turin, Milan, Baku, Skopje, Madrid, Basel, Kiev, Lyon, Cardiff, Budapest and Stockholm Current tables: Account managerR. le(s) as a volunteer: A lot!Media accreditation, adjustment day operations, ‘arbitrators’ function, festival mastery, mastery of photographer paintings and even ‘trophy runner’. media/marketing guidelines.
Has volunteering helped you grow personally/professionally?You’re still informed. Each country has its own laws, every event/stage is different. You will be informed to be flexible yetArray. . but it must also abide by the rules.
Why would you propose volunteering as a way forward in your career?If you need to paint in the world of occasions, it’s helping you perceive the wonderful occasion it is!
Name: Agata Kozie Age: 31 years Residence: Warsaw, Poland Country / Voluntary cities in Warsaw, mainly Current employment: existing business analyst, fundamental branch (Polish Football Federation) Role(s) as a volunteer: accreditation (UEFA EURO 2012) on the basis controlArray of volunteers. Lessons learned: communication and network work, sharing skills (“If you give, you will receive”), the strength of organizational dynamics, wisdom in key areas, professional technique for tasks.
Has volunteering helped you grow personally/grow?Volunteering has given me the opportunity to explore new paths and perceive how I need to spend my daily life. This allowed me to explore career opportunities beyond my mind and knowledge. I have developed professional skills, such as communication and teamwork. Opportunities! It looks wonderful on resumes and helps you differentiate yourself from other candidates.
I temporarily learned that I was looking to be part of the sporting environment and that I had to pursue this passion. Shortly after the EURO experience, I also voluntarily participated in UEFA Base Football Day (at this event, I met my current boss!). This led to the recruitment of the Polish Football Association, and for the more than seven years I have worked in the national groups and the training division, as well as in the General Secretariat.
In my case, volunteering has replaced life.
Why would you propose volunteering as a way forward in your career?Don’t think about it too much, just get involved. Volunteering can provide you with the right skills and knowledge, so if you’re thinking of following a career, I submit documentary reports from volunteers to highlight.
With your volunteering efforts, can you simply make a contribution to economic and social development?It is helping build more powerful communities and encourages others to be more active. The result is social capital. It can have positive effects on self-esteem and other skills, expand career paths and definitely influence our health, all of which can contribute to economic and social development.
Name: Alexandra Nicoleta Apostu Age: 22 Residence: Bucharest, Romania Country / Volunteering City in: Bucharest Current Employment: Project Manager, Assistant President of the Romanian Football Federation Function as a volunteer in: ceremonies opening matches of national teams. Lessons learned: I am a team-oriented user myself and it is thanks to volunteering, you realize, you expand skills that will help you in your professional perspectives, you make new friends and all this happens as you become more responsible.
Has volunteering helped you grow personally/professionally? By volunteering, you have the opportunity to experiment with other fields of activity, to have the possibility to notice what you are passionate about or what is not convenient for you, you notice skills that you did not know you had and whatever the result, through volunteering, you have a transparent picture of who you are and what you need to be, professionally, for me it was an improvement in my communication skills and I learned to paint in a foreign environment. I had the opportunity to paint with other people who reveled in a field. I grew up, both personally and professionally.
Why would he propose volunteering as a way forward in his career?It consists of responsibilities of action with precision and efficiency, respecting strict deadlines. Working as a team or individually, you will have to set up this institution. You will be informed to be disciplined and you will be able to get advances from it. It’s not just a way to help others, it’s also a way to help you prepare for a long-term job.
With your volunteering effort, can you contribute to economic and social development?Volunteering is a vital resource in our economy and society, as it acquires new skills and adapts to labor market adjustments. Volunteering is first and foremos s. smart homework without the promise of curtain reward. It is sharing your time to help others In this way, you can contribute to a positive replacement in society.
Name: Judith Gunion Age: Residence: Ipswich, England
For more than 35 years I was a journalist, as a reporter and then as deputy director, I left to open my own sports massage practice before retiring a few years ago.
But the 2012 London Olympics put me on another path, volunteering for foreign sporting events, this put me in a very stimulating extraterrestrial painting environment and also one of the most exciting painting atmospheres I’ve ever been in. Being part of this team has taught us to play with the strengths of others and to adapt and improvise to make conditions difficult and achievable.
I was first decided in the UEFA Champions League for the 2013 top at Wembley 2013. It was the beginning of my years at the Champions Festival, I’m looking ahead.
I grew up in the role of volunteer coordinator, helping management, making sure young volunteers know what to expect and changing staff for other jobs. With my experience, it’s natural to transfer to press operations and I’ve been doing it since 2015.
Volunteering has been a step out of my convenience zone for me, gaining self-confidence over anything completely different or new, and thriving.
Volunteering has brought me friends from all over the world, helped me to be informed about new languages, it has made me appreciate the lives of other people in the countries in which I am and, above all, it has given me a rumor that allows me to get ahead of my next adventure.
Name: Lauri Sibul Age: 32 years Residence: Tallinn, Estonia Councheck out / Volunteer City to: Tallinn Current employment: FC Flora guilty of the control and marketing of the game’s volunteer manager (team control for ceremonies, advertising operations and media operations). Lessons learned: This list is quite endless and I think most classes don’t even notice them consciously. Volunteering is a way to check new things, meet other people, make friends, grow as a user and help you locate their passion. This gives you the opportunity to do anything absolutely different, and return to your invigorated life. Volunteering is a way of life for many other people and without them, many projects would not be carried out.
Has volunteering helped you grow personally/professionally?Yes! You know other wonderful people who are almost team-oriented and need to accomplish wonderful things. They don’t have to do the things they do, they need to do them. Through volunteering, I have had the privilege of looking for many other jobs and this has led me to what I love to do.
Due to the privilege of being the coordinator of many projects, I have reveled in leading groups of other sizes.
The last voluntary paintings I had also helped me get to where I am professionally. Just after the 2018 UEFA Super Cup, I got a job at Estonia’s largest football club, FC Flora. I’m 100 percent sure that being part of the Super Cup has helped pave the way for this opportunity.
Why would you propose volunteering as a way forward in your career?In my experience, volunteering is the most productive way to be more informed about yourself and locate the things you are passionate about. If you don’t know what to do in life, volunteer on other projects. It’s a wonderful way to see other jobs, but don’t forget that volunteering deserves not to be taken lightly. There’s a lot of acceptance as true in you. Make your more productive and you may just notice it!
With your volunteering efforts, can you simply make a contribution to economic and social development?Volunteering is a way to give society back through assistance to valuable projects, a truth, and be a part of anything you enjoy. love through volunteering, society is happier.
Name: Olivier Chovin Age: 30 years Residence: Geneva, Switzerland / voluntary cities in: Frankfurt / Main, Chicago, Cologne and other existing works: ‘coordinator of the event workforce’, leader of the ticketing team and services for spectators Lessons learned: find all the trades behind the scenes – made me realize that I was looking to be in the industry of football occasions. Also notice the culture of volunteering and meet some of those “super” volunteers who participate in as many occasions as they can. “Once voluntary, voluntary,” which I personally think is very true: it’s a rewarding experience.
Has volunteering helped you grow personally/professionally?Absolutely, Frankfurt very exciting to me, being 21 at the time. I met some very intelligent friends and discovered the culture of volunteering with the wonderful values that come with it.
Professionally, it’s a turning point, which is helping me perceive what types of careers were possible. Talking to my manager and other professionals also helped perceive how to succeed in those positions later, knowing that I still had a lot to report first. Later, as I applied for long-term jobs, I also learned that volunteering was a marvel with a wonderful added price on a resume.
Why would you propose volunteering as a way forward in your career?It is appreciated through recruiters, especially in the sports industry. Sport and volunteering bring many unusual values: team spirit, kindness, open mind, collective effort, going further. . .
It may still be a bit early to communicate this as a standard, but I am convinced that for academics seeking a career in sport, it will be increasingly a habit to start with getting a first volunteer experience. it’s a very smart way to build smart relationships and expand some skills.
With your volunteering effort, can you contribute to economic and social progression?Definitely contributing directly to the delivery of events, with all my volunteer teammates. Events that in the end contribute to the economic and social progress of the hosts.
However, I believe that this contribution is even more tangible/remarkable in long-term volunteer missions, for example, through commitments in clubs or associations throughout the year. As a youth coach, for example, it has an effect on children’s social progression. it’s very direct and sustainable.
Is there a link between your paintings at UEFA and your volunteer work? My volunteer reports have motivated me to start a career in the sports industry, and even more so to specialize in managing volunteer programs. I finished my master’s thesis on volunteer control at primary sporting events, then joined UEFA EURO 2016 as a volunteer coordinator, followed by a volunteer coach role at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, which ultimately helped me continue my career at UEFA, where I am still working on volunteer work that I did love very much.
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