News
Soccerex to put SA on world map
06 October - The imminent hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ in South Africa has opened many doors for South Africa, one of them being Soccerex, the biggest football-focused exhibition in the world.
Referees set sights on 2010 World Cup
02 October - Qualifying is already well underway for teams looking to book their place at the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa™, but it is not just players and coaches of the various countries who are looking ahead to 2010. The world's top referees also have their sights set on South Africa.
2010 plans to be piloted during PSL match
01 October - Saturday’s Premier Soccer League clash between Orlando Pirates and Santos at Ellis Park Stadium will be used to pilot Park and Ride facilities in preparation for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™, the department of transport said on Tuesday.
Transport Month highlights 2010 progress
30 September - Preparations to welcome thousands of fans to South Africa for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ spectacular are at an advanced stage at OR Tambo International Airport.
Government: Politics won’t affect World Cup
29 September - The unfolding changes in the Executive of the Republic of South Africa will not have any negative impact on preparations for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™.
‘Adopt a Nation’ campaign to galvanise kids
29 September - The Local Organising Committee South Africa has invited millions of school children to be part of 2010 Fifa World Cup™. The “Adopt a Nation” school programme was launched at the Nasrec Sports Precinct in Johannesburg on Saturday.
New SA president pledges best World Cup
26 September - President-elect of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe, says the government remains committed to all the promises it made to Fifa and the international football community to deliver the best 2010 Fifa World Cup™.
Klerksdorp city banks on 2010 spinoffs
25 September - The City of Matlosana is ready to benefit from South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ with sponsorships and football development programmes already in place.
Zakumi: 2010 Fifa World Cup Official Mascot launched
22 September - Zakumi, the Official 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa™ Mascot, has made his first ever public appearance at a media launch at SABC’s Auckland Park studios in Johannesburg.
2010 World Cup Mascot launch on Monday
19 September - The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) – official broadcast partner of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ – will on Monday unveil the long awaited Official Mascot of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. The launch will be broadcast live on SABC1.
15 July 2008
Volunteering open to all SA residents
Simangaliso Zwane
Johannesburg – The Local Organising Committee (LOC) says volunteering for the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup™ is open to everyone who is a legal resident of South Africa.
Herman Beetge, LOC Volunteer Programme Services Co-ordinator (pictured) told the SA2010 Website that potential volunteers need to be in possession of a valid South African green identity document, a valid South African Permanent Residency Permit or a valid South African Temporary Residency Permit.
As the host of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™, South Africa stands not as a country alone – but rather as a representative of Africa and as part of an African family of nations.
“Volunteers can apply if they are residents in South Africa, they do not need to be South African, but they need to be [legally] staying in South Africa.
“If they have a valid residency permit in their passports, then they can apply because we have a lot of students studying in South Africa, so if you are staying in South Africa and you have a valid permanent or temporary residency you can apply,” he said.
He also stressed that potential volunteers for the programme must be 18 years of age or older (by or before 1 March 2009), and have a fairly good command of English Language.
“The volunteers must be 18 years of age and older, so they can be 30, 40, 50 etc. It is important that they must be minimum 18 years, if you are younger than 18 they must be 18 by the 1st of March 2009,” he said.
The sophisticated computerised system used to process the application forms will automatically detect your current age and how old you will be by the 1st of March in 2009.
Beetge says if people are not selected to volunteer for the Confederations Cup, they should not worry as they could still be selected to volunteer for the Fifa World Cup in 2010.
“If you are not selected it doesn’t mean that you are not good enough, it mean that we had so many good people. We need to make sure its process if fair; we need to give everybody the opportunity. In the interview we will be looking for certain things from the volunteer and we are looking for people that have a passion for people.”
“With the volunteer programme, we are challenging ourselves to say we will have an impact on the success of this tournament in such a way that people their perceptions are positively changed towards our continent and South Africa,” said Beetge.
Once selected, volunteers will be provided with comprehensive training and material, they will also be provided with a uniform. Volunteers will also be required to sign a contract.
6619 applications had been received by 13:00 on Friday and the LOC says it is expecting this number to grow before the closing date of 31 August 2008.
People wishing to volunteer for the Confederations Cup are encouraged to call the toll free call centre number on 0800 52 52 52 or visit the website here.
At this stage, only applications to volunteer in the Fifa Confederations Cup South Africa 2009 are open.
Please note the following guidelines to apply to register as a volunteer as devised by Fifa and the LOC:
Requirements
• 18 years of age by 1 March 2009
• Must be a South African resident
• Must have a good command of English
• Must be in possession of a valid South African Identity Document
Application
The volunteer will be able to apply via the internet. The reason for this is to ensure that all volunteers have the same opportunity to apply. The Application Form will be available for the following period:
• July to August 2008
The Application Form will then be closed. Please note that the date you submit your application (if within the above period) will have no bearing on the final choice of volunteers. You will therefore not be able to apply after the closing date.
We would like to inform you that we are expecting a huge number of applications thus we would ask you not to contact the Volunteer Programme in the application period.
Application Venues
As to ensure that we make the application forms available to those who do not have access to any form of internet; the 9 Host Cities have identified access venues. These access venues will be 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 known through local media closer to the application date and during the period of application.
Recruitment
Approximately 5 000 volunteers will ultimately be selected for the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009. We will screen all applicants and will telephone all applicants who have been pre-selected to join us for a further interview. This interview will take place in the city that you have indicated you would like to be a volunteer in.
The interviews are intended to help us:
• get to know you better
• understand why you have decided to apply
• establish your areas of interest and if you are suitable for the specific tasks
• check your language ability
Training
Our training programme is developed to equip the volunteer and to ensure that he/she is able to receive our guests. This training will take place prior to the first day of volunteering and all volunteers need to be available for ALL the days of training.
The training will consist of event training; venue and finally job-specific training. This training will also give volunteers the opportunity to meet fellow volunteers that will be working with them.
The training will consist of three sections, namely: Section 1 will have general information for the volunteer and will be in the form of a "kickoff event" in all 5 Host Cities being used for the event. Section 2 will deal with customer service and areas such as "dealing with difficult customers" and Section 3 will prepare the volunteer for his/her specific role.
Training will take place in the months of February, March and April 2009.