The search to find more than 13,000 volunteers for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is coming to a close.
Volunteering applications, which opened on Tuesday 1 June 2021, will be closed at 7pm on Tuesday 17 August as the search to provide a community of passionate people with the chance to play a vital role in delivering the Games comes to an end.
The volunteers – known as the “Commonwealth Collective” – will be a dedicated and dynamic group that will reflect the diversity of the West Midlands as well as the modern Commonwealth.
The volunteers that join the Commonwealth Collective will be the public faces of Birmingham 2022 and represent the heart and soul of the Games experience for athletes, officials, spectators and a global audience of over one billion. The Games is the largest sporting and cultural event ever to be held in the West Midlands and the biggest in the UK for a decade.
The majority of volunteer roles don’t need any formal experience or qualifications, with full training provided. Voluntary roles include drivers, first aiders, meet & greeters, venue preppers, kit carriers, courtside assistants, and everything in between to help the Games run smoothly and create a unique experience right across the region.
Volunteer roles are split between roles at the Games and pre-Games roles:
Pre-Game Roles
These roles will take place prior to the Games to help support in the planning and preparation of the Games.
Volunteers will need to complete one shift a week for a duration of three months. Some will even provide support at the volunteer selection centre, helping to conduct interviews for games-time volunteers.
Roles at the Games
Games-time volunteers will need to be available for the duration of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (28th July to 8th August 2022), and agree to complete a minimum of eight shifts.
The 13,000 volunteers who form the Commonwealth Collective will receive approximately 250,000 hours of training and complete one million hours of volunteer time.
Applicants must be aged 18 by 1 January 2022 and can select preferred areas of interest which include Event Services, Accreditation, Transport, Sport and Media.
A young volunteer programme, for 14–17-year-olds, will begin recruitment in the autumn.
25,000 shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview at the Volunteer Selection Centre between September and December 2021, which will be held at the iconic Library of Birmingham. Successful volunteers will be notified with a role offer from January 2022.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “Warwickshire County Council is very proud that the location of the Birmingham 2022 road race will be Warwick and that, with our partners in the District Council, we will be hosting this incredible event during the games.
“The road race is a very exciting event and one of only a handful of events that spectators can enjoy without a ticket as the competitors will be racing round the historic roads of the town of Warwick.
“Even beyond the road race, there are so many different opportunities for residents to get involved with and help to create a lasting legacy from the Games happening on our doorstep.
“Here in Warwickshire, we have a long and rich history of people stepping up, volunteering and making a difference to their communities and I hope many of our residents will seize this incredible opportunity and join the commonwealth collective of volunteers who will contribute to making these Games truly outstanding.”
To apply and find out more about joining the Commonwealth Collective and volunteering at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, visit: https://www.birmingham2022.com/news/blog/volunteering-applications-open/