Currently the soccer fields are empty at the National Sports Center, but in mid July they will be packed with teams from around the globe as they play in the Target USA Cup. It takes all hands on deck to pull off this monster event, including a couple hundred volunteers.
“Our volunteers are super critical in order for our tournament to run successfully,” said Annie Juergens from the National Sports Center. “We truly could not do the Target USA Cup without our volunteers.”
Cup organizers want you and promise a fabulous experience to the volunteers who join their team.
“They come from all over the country and they are given the opportunity to either be a field manager, or help us with opening ceremonies,” Juergens said. “They’re able to greet teams at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport and the other opportunity is to drive our referees around. We have a big campus so we have volunteers who drive golf carts and help those referees get from field to field.”
Plenty of perks
The Target USA Cup is the largest youth soccer tournament in North America. Over 1,200 teams from around the world come to Blaine every July and it’s controlled chaos when games are played at the National Sports Center’s 860 acre campus. Capable volunteers are a crucial part of making the event run smoothly.
“We have a lot of volunteers who come back every year because they enjoy it so much,” Juergens said. “They recruit their friends and on top of that we just reach out to people who are interested in volunteering and also just people of the community who are interested in helping this tournament run and continue to run for several years to come.”
For volunteers this is a labor of love that provides them with plenty of perks.
“It is unpaid, however you get free meals, free t-shirts and just a great experience all around,” Juergens said. “The most fun part about it is you get to hang out with referees from around the world. You get to hang out with coaches and players from every country around the world that you could think of.”
The Target USA Cup runs July 12-20 at the NSC. If you want to be a volunteer email Annie Juergens at Ajuergens@nscsports.org or sign up at USACup.org.
