Coach Kevin Hodges, athlete Mark Liggins and FIFA Order of Merit Steve Sumner at the Special Olympics Unity Cup in Cape Town, 2010.
Where else can you start off as a local volunteer and end up taking an athlete to the FIFA World Cup or leading a delegation of athletes to a World Games?
Athens, Shanghai, Brunei, Cape Town, Ireland. Incredible destinations and some of the amazing places Special Olympics New Zealand volunteers have travelled.
Everyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to contact their local Club and attend a regional Orientation Evening. These information evenings assist potential volunteers understand Special Olympics New Zealand and get an idea of how they can make a difference.
After deciding how you would like to be involved, Special Olympics New Zealand will match you with a local mentor. Mentors are there to help find skills you need and identify any opportunities to up-skill yourself. These opportunities may be in coaching, officiating or understanding intellectual disability, for example.
After you start volunteering, opportunities will come along. Initially this could involve taking a local team to a regional event, then perhaps the National Games. After gaining experience and confidence, you may apply to take a team to an international event.
Opportunities are not limited to coaches and officials. Committee members can become part of the national and international delegations, too. Team managers and Head of Delegations are needed for large international events. Coaches and management team members are selected by panel.
One day you are a casual coach of tenpin bowling at the local alley – and before you know it, you could be leading a team to a world sporting event. That’s the unique thing about Special Olympics New Zealand.
Two technical delegates and four officials will represent Special Olympics New Zealand at the Special Olympics 2011 World Summer Games. They will be part of an incredible event and get to see the world, at no cost!
And they all started as local volunteers.