London, June 6, 2014: England Rugby 2015, the Organizing Committee for Rugby World Cup 2015, has unveiled the next phase of its volunteer programme, to find the 6,000 members of ‘The Pack’ who will welcome the world to England and to Rugby in 2015.
The selection events, which are called Try Outs, will be held between June and December 2014 in every Rugby World Cup 2015 Host City, beginning at The Home of Saracens Rugby from June 3 to 18.
20,000 people applied to be part of ‘The Pack’ and 10,000 will be invited to attend the Try Outs. The selection process will be an exciting and informative experience where potential members of ‘The Pack’ will find out more about RWC 2015 and take part in a one-to-one interview.
The volunteer area will include an exhibition space dedicated to the history of rugby, a motivational video for would-be volunteers and a real-life changing room for volunteers to try kit on for size, complete with vintage rugby sweaters and an authentic heat spray ‘scent’.
Debbie Jevans, Chief Executive of England Rugby 2015, who visited the Try Out at The Home of Saracens Rugby yesterday, said: “‘The Pack’ will be the faces of the Tournament and we’re extremely thankful to all those who have volunteered their time to take part in the process. We have had a fantastic level of interest and applications for the programme, which shows the great level of enthusiasm and excitement for RWC 2015.
“This next phase in the Try Outs process will ensure that members of ‘The Pack’ hold and display the shared values of Rugby. They will also have the opportunity to learn about the Tournament and the role of ‘The Pack’.. We look forward to hosting Try Outs in every host city this year and finding ‘The Pack’ who will make RWC 2015 truly special.”
Potential candidates will be asked questions based on these shared values along with questions on suitability for the role that volunteers are being considered for. There will be a range of roles throughout the lead up and delivery of the Tournament but they will mainly be focused on transport and spectator services. There will be a small number of specialist roles including roles in Media Operations, Accreditation and workforce operations.
The first set of Try Outs coincided with National Volunteers’ Week (June 1-7), an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK.
Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, who toured the Try Out yesterday, said: “Volunteers played a vital role in London 2012 and Rugby World Cup 2015 will be another fantastic opportunity to get thousands of people involved in welcoming the world to England and to Rugby next year. It was fantastic to meet some of the brilliant candidates at The Home of Saracens Rugby this week and to see the Try Out in action and there was a real sense of excitement about the Tournament.”
In line with the Tournament vision to have Rugby at the heart of the Tournament, 75% of ‘The Pack’ will come from the Rugby Community who help run the game week in, week out. The rest will come from the general public, an opportunity to bring new people into Rugby. People who have been successful in being selected to be part of ‘The Pack’ will be notified in early 2015. —- England 2015
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