GOAL Camp 2023 Participants Attend a Study Visit on Volunteering in Football at the FRF

GOAL Camp 2023 Participants Attend a Study Visit on Volunteering in Football at the FRF

On Thursday 13 July, the Federația Română de Fotbal (FRF) hosted a study visit on “Volunteering in football”.

The event was attended by the participants of GOAL Camp 2023, a program that aims to give fifteen students from rural Romania, passionate about civic engagement, the opportunity to learn how the Romanian state works, what is the role of the citizen in a democratic society and how they can get actively involved, bringing positive changes in their communities.

GOAL Camp is a program funded by the US Embassy in Romania and implemented by the American Councils for International Education Romania.

In the first part, the participants were introduced to a brief retrospective of both the European, and global milestones of Romanian football, from 1909 (Founding of the Romanian Football Federation) followed by 1922 (First match of the National Team: Yugoslavia-Romania – 1:2) to the present, 2023 (Romania is the host of the UEFA U21 European Championship). They had the opportunity to admire and take a picture with the anniversary shirt 100 years of emotions and passion, displayed at the FRF on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first match of the Romanian National Football Team. They were amazed by the European and World Championship participations, and despite the young age of the participants, some of them knew the players who have been part of the team over the years or the important phases of the matches played.

In the second part, they were invited to a session on “Volunteering in football” with Andrada Puiu, Coordinator of TEAM behind the TEAM, the volunteer programme of the Romanian Football Federation. She actively involved them in the topic with questions about “Why do we choose to volunteer?”, the answers of those in the room were related to the desire to help, to have an impact in society, to develop personally and professionally, to make friends; but also about “What are the qualities and values of a volunteer?”, the moral portrait being painted around empathy, devotion, ambition, intelligence, sympathy, patience and attention to the needs of others.

Andrada also mentioned this programme when asked about the volunteering contexts offered by the FRF. In the meantime, by promoting and demonstrating the values of this community, such as friendship, team spirit and passion for football, TBTT volunteers have contributed to the organisation of some memorable events for Romanian football. Today, the community has more than 700 volunteers who are actively involved out of a desire to make an impact in the football phenomenon, to represent Romania with pride when it hosts a European Championship, and to be responsible for the success of the events organised. The participants enthusiastically welcomed the invitation to join this programme and to be promoters of volunteering in football.

Following this, Andrada told them about the two major sports events that Romania hosted and that involved a large team of volunteers in their organisation: EURO2020 in the summer of 2021 and the UEFA European Championship U21 Georgia – Romania 2023 which has just finished. The participants understood that volunteers are an essential part of the management of a sporting event, that through their involvement and enthusiasm they contribute to the delivery of the processes required for each role, be it activities related to media, ticketing, spectator services, broadcasting or match organisation.

The visit ended on a positive note, with the commitment of those present wanting to continue or wanting to volunteer in the future, in the local communities they come from or in the social contexts in which they will find themselves in order to develop personally and professionally. Overall, dedicated to having an impact in society and to promote the values of volunteering!

“Education” is an important strategic pillar within the “Strategic Plan for the Development of Football in Romania 2021-2026”, and the Romanian Football Federation is actively involved today in training as many participants as possible in the football phenomenon. In this regard, a series of educational initiatives have been developed in recent years for young people who want a career in sports organisations, and volunteers who work with them, to implement the federation’s projects. The FRF wants to continue to contribute to raising awareness and interest in volunteering, and the positive social impact of football.