International hockey is one of the leading sports when it comes to recruiting, training and utilising volunteers therefore the FIH is calling on the hockey community to sign up and become one of 80,000 volunteers who will deliver the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.
Those interested in being part of an incredible sporting event in a unique and vibrant location have until the start of December to submit their application. Nine categories are open to volunteers with hockey looking for a number of specific roles for the Games that takes place between 24 July and 9 August 2020. For those not based in Japan, remote training sessions for overseas applicants have been planned.
Whether organising the Ball Patrols, helping in the media tribune or escorting the players on and off the team coach, an army of volunteers are crucial to a smooth running hockey event.
Volunteers first hit the headlines at the 2012 London Olympics, when thousands of volunteers, all wearing the same red and beige uniform, welcomed thousands of people to London for the huge multi-sport event.
Among the venues that benefited from the services of the volunteers was the Riverside Arena, where the hockey event was held. Many of the volunteers from 2012 have since worked at other major hockey events, including the EuroHockey Championships in 2015, Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and at the recent Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup London 2018.
Hockey volunteers come from all sectors of society. Some are die-hard hockey fans who volunteer so they can work alongside the world's best hockey players and coaches and get a glimpse of the world-class action.
Others volunteer as a sense of duty, retired or semi-retired people will often use volunteering as a means of giving back to society. For others, volunteering offers additional training. A student seeking a career in event management or the media, will gain high benefits from working in that environment in a voluntary capacity. And yet for others, volunteering offers a way to de-stress from a different career.
Among the volunteer work force you will find Bank Managers, Journalists and Sales people, all enjoying a different working experience. It is no easy task being a volunteer. When the smooth running of an event is at stake, everyone has to play their part and volunteers are no different.
Training for the role can be intense; the pressure, particularly around match days, is highly charged; and team leaders will push their workforce hard. But, as the smiling faces at the end of an event signify, being a cog in the wheel of a spectacle such as an Olympic Games gives everyone involved a huge and satisfying sense of achievement.
Click here for more information about volunteering at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
