Thousands of South Africans will from 1 July 2008 get the unique opportunity to be part of the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009, as the volunteer application process for the tournament got underway.

Around 5 000 volunteers will be required for the tournament - known as the “festival of champions” - which features the champions of all six FIFA Confederations, as well as defending 2006 FIFA World Cup™ champions Italy and hosts South Africa.

From 1 July 2008 until August 31 2008, potential volunteers for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 can apply online at www.fifa.com/southafrica2009, with the online process supported with dedicated access venues for the general public in the tournament’s Host Cities and selected venues in other cities, for those without access to the internet.

Newly-crowned European champions Spain qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 with their stunning victory at UEFA Euro 2008, joining South American champions Brazil, CONCACAF champions United States, Asian champions Iraq and African champions Egypt, who have also qualified for the tournament to date.

The FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009 takes place from 14 June to 28 June 2009 in Johannesburg, Tshwane/Pretoria, Rustenburg, Mangaung/Bloemfontein and Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth.

The process to recruit the Confederations Cup volunteers is the first step towards the recruitment of around 15 000 volunteers who will be required for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Volunteer applications for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, however, only starts in July 2009.

“Today (1 July 2008) is a very significant day for all of us at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa. Today, young men and women, and old men and old women for that matter, can volunteer to be part of first the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and then the 2010 FIFA World Cup."

"The one thing beyond the goals and the performance of the teams we remember, in any major event, is the way in which the volunteers participate, smile, support and be helpful."

"It is a critical first element of any tournament. The launch of the application volunteer application process for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 gives us the chance to engage South Africans directly and to call on thousands of them for their support,” the Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC), Dr Danny Jordaan, said at the launch of the volunteer application process today.

“Thousands of hours have to date been spent on tournament preparations and to deliver world-class stadia and infrastructure. It is, however, the warm hospitality and friendly reception we give the hundreds of thousands of supporters who will descend on our country that will make us deliver on our promise of making 2010 the best FIFA World Cup ever.” Dr Jordaan added.

The Umsobomvu Youth Fund have also provided substantial administrative support, development of the education curriculum for the OC’s Volunteer Programme, a call centre to handle queries about the programme, as well as 30 call centre agencies to support the programme.

The call centre is live and potential candidates are welcome to phone the centre to gain more information on the Volunteer Programme for the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009.

The call centre number is 0800 525 252.

The Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Education and Training Authority (THETA) will train all FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and 2010 FIFA World Cup volunteers in customer service, while Adidas are the official clothing suppliers of the programme.

Volunteers will be recruited in operational areas such as accreditation, administration, information technology, language support, logistics, transport, information services, media, and marketing and will typically be required at areas such as stadiums, airports, information centres, protocol areas and media centres among other areas.

Once selected, volunteers will be given comprehensive training to ensure they are able to service the thousands of guests who will descend on the country for the upcoming tournaments. The training will consist of event training; venue and finally job-specific training.

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