For the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ to truly be a success, the backing of the people of South Africa, and in fact all the world, is important. This is why the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee (OC) has placed such importance on the Volunteer Programme, which aims to bring people from all walks of life together to lend a helping hand in staging such a massive event.

The volunteers, who will be the public face of the tournament will play a vital role in all aspects of the FIFA World Cup and will be assisting numerous departments such as transport, media, safety and security and protocol, to name just a few.

For the OC the 2010 FIFA World Cup is not just about football, it is about ensuring that the nation is involved in the tournament and providing a sense of ownership to South Africans. The Volunteer Programme is integral to this vision and with such a high response rate from the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 Volunteer Programme, with close to 40,000 responding to the call for 4000 positions, it is obvious that the people of South Africa are more than willing to assist.

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup the playing field is a little different. The programme is open to people from around the world and there are around 15,000 positions that need to be filled. Judging from the response for the FIFA Confederations Cup there should be no problem finding the volunteers.