Accepting a Volunteer Role With FIFA

Part two of my journey to become a FIFA World Cup Volunteer.

The FIFA Volunteer Center in downtown Seattle. (Photo by author).

I hit refresh on my email for the hundredth time. Still no FIFA update. I opened the FIFA app on my phone. There were no updates.

Part of my script during Starting Line was to remind prospective volunteers not to panic if they did not hear from FIFA. I almost canceled my trip to San Diego. What if FIFA contacted me and I did not have good internet service? I could lose my ability to volunteer. Over 1.1 million people filled out applications. The tournament only had 50,000 openings. I needed to be constantly checking my email.

My husband did not think a possible volunteer position was worth canceling our daughter’s scheduled college visit. He reassured me that if I brought my laptop, he could ensure my machine would not be infected with internet herpes. I triple-checked that our hotel had a reliable internet connection, and he told me to stop being so dramatic.

Did he not realize how important my World Cup dream had become? Not being home meant I had to lug my laptop on vacation to ensure I had the optimum opportunity to research my role offer if and when it arrived in my inbox.

I spent five weeks reassuring my fellow FIFA volunteer hopefuls that the volunteer roles offered were…