In just over a year, England take on Fiji in the opening match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Twenty teams will take part in games at 13 venues across England and Cardiff in September and October 2015. However preparations are already underway with England looking to make the event a spectacular Rugby World Cup for all the world to see and enjoy.
One of the biggest successes of the 2012 Olympics in London was the army of volunteers that helped make the games run smoothly, The Games Makers. Volunteers that helped people find their way around the Olympic Park, transported various competitors, officials and media around London, and made the Olympics a fantastic sporting event for London and the World to watch.
Now the England 2015 organisers are enlisting their own army of volunteers. 6,000 people from across the country will make up “The Pack”. Focusing on spectator experience, and transport, with some specialist roles, The Pack will look to emulate the Games Makers and help to make the tournament a huge success.
Of the 6,000 volunteers that make up The Pack, 75% of the volunteers will be drawn from rugby clubs in order to recognise those people who support the game week in and week out, making that spirit a part of the tournament. The remaining 1,500 people will be drawn from the general public.
Earlier this year over 20,000 people applied to be a part of The Pack. Each person filled out an online application form and this group was narrowed to a field of 10,000 who would attend the try out stage, before the final 6,000 volunteers are selected. Each of the match day venues will host these try outs, starting on the 3rd at June at Allianz Park with try outs for Wembley Stadium, ending with the try outs for Twickenham that finish on 16th December 2014.
This past week, it was the turn of the Brighton Community Stadium Try Outs held at the University of Brighton. I was lucky enough to be selected to attend these try outs on Friday 18th July at the University of Brighton.
The try outs were well organised, flowed well and were enjoyable. After signing in, there was a short wait in a room filled with promotional boards about the World Cup, its history, its future & the game in general, an inflatable passing game, where applicants had a chance to pass the ball through a hole at the end of an inflatable passing range, World Cup memorabilia, including medals from the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, and a board with notes from each person at the try outs about what rugby meant to them. From friendship to the sheer love of the game this board showed the spirit of the game ahead of the tournament and shows why The Pack can make this tournament a huge success. The time in this area was followed by a short video presentation showing moments from previous World Cups and then explaining the role of The Pack and how it will help the World Cup in England succeed.
This was followed up by a 20 minute interview to determine each individual’s suitability for The Pack. The interviewers themselves were volunteers and interviews were conducted in a relaxed and friendly manner. Finally uniform sizing was conducted, so the 6,000 people will be impeccably decked out in matching gear come Autumn 2015.
The whole day was an enjoyable experience, with the staff and volunteers friendly and helpful. If the quality of this recruitment event is a measure of the quality of The Pack and the 2015 Rugby World Cup as a whole then the World will see a spectacular tournament next year embodied by the people that represent the spirit of the game “The Pack”.
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