To mark the beginning of National Volunteer Week (June 21-27, 2020) the Wellington Phoenix Football Club wishes to thank the tireless efforts of its valued volunteers, without whom it would be unable to operate its match day and community activities.
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Wellington Phoenix General Manager, David Dome, says that volunteers form the backbone of their club and their contributions need to be recognised.
“New Zealand has such a proud history of volunteering and at the Phoenix we are so lucky to have a wonderful group of ‘professional’ volunteers!
“These volunteers play a broad role across our organisation and their value cannot be understated; they’re a vital part of the club and its ability to deliver its services into the community.
“Even though we haven’t been able to play any matches at Sky Stadium over the past few months due to Covid-19, we still rely on volunteers to assist our admin team in running everything smoothly behind the scenes.
“I never cease to be amazed by the time and effort that our volunteers put in, all with a smile on their faces – they’re fantastic.”
The Phoenix has over 20 dedicated volunteers who give up their time to help the club each match day at home, from looking after the ball kids and organising accreditation to operating the substitution board and handing out matchday programmes. Some of these volunteers drive from as far as Woodville to help out on match day, all because they’re passionate about the club and football in general.
In addition the club relies on volunteers to help operate their community activities such as school and hospital visits, fan engagement events and school holiday programmes throughout the year. They also have volunteers based in Auckland for whenever the team travels north to play at Eden Park.
Dome says that there are no shortage of people wanting to volunteer for the club, and each chooses to do so for a variety of reasons.
“Many of our volunteers want to give back to the community, while others choose to volunteer as a way of meeting new people, learning new things and gaining event experience.
“A lot of the volunteers tell us that beyond the reward of helping others, they love being able to experience the excitement of a Phoenix match day as someone who helps make it all happen.”
Stephanie Evett – the club’s Fan of the Year in 2016/17 – says she has enjoyed being a volunteer for the Phoenix s as it has opened her up to a raft of new experiences.
“It’s my second year of volunteering for the Phoenix and it’s awesome; I’ve made new friends, formed great relationships with the other volunteers and staff, and it just feels good to help out.
“Being a fan of the Phoenix for many years, as a volunteer I’ve gotten to know get to know the club a lot better as well as interact with the players and coaches – and just being able to have a different, ‘behind the scenes’ view of everything during match day is amazing.”
