Locals get chance to be part of global spectacle

ASSESSING: Whangarei District Council's Peter Gleeson (left) and Fifa's Aaron Hamilton watch the final of the Jim Wishart Tournament in Tikipunga in September while discussing the number of volunteers needed in Northland for next year's Fifa Under-20 World Cup. PHOTO/JOHN STONE

Volunteers from Auckland will bussed up for the Fifa Under-20 World Cup if more Northlanders don't step up to the plate.

Organisers are calling for more Northland volunteers for the three matches at Toll Stadium next year, with about 60 spots to fill out of 200.

Sport Northland's Colleen Aitchison said if organisers did not get enough Northland volunteers, they would have to bus some up from Auckland - where there was a large surplus.

"Interestingly, in the Rugby World Cup we bussed them down," she said.

Mrs Aitchison's urging locals over 17 keen to help out - in areas from accreditation and hospitality to public relations and marketing. If interested, they should apply online and interviews will be held at Sport Northland on Monday.

She doesn't want to speculate as to whether a lack of volunteers could affect future bids for sports events of this size.

"I'm being positive and hoping we can reach that target number."

Toll Stadium will host three group matches.

The first of these will kick off at 4pm on May 30 - just hours after the tournament's opening game. The second will be at 1pm on June 2 and the third from 2pm on June 7. Whangarei's round of 16 match will kick off at 4pm on June 11.

-To become a volunteer go to fifa.com/u20worldcup and register as a fan of the tournament.

From there, you will be emailed with what to do next.