Be a sport and get paid

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Youngsters offer to volunteer for operations jobs during the World Cup

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One remembers Sachin Tendulkar talking about being a ball boy in a Cricket World Cup match when he was a teenager. He apparently felt ‘on top of the world’ just being near his idols on the field. While things haven’t changed much today, youngsters can actually make some money this World Cup by volunteering.
“I would love to be a volunteer during the match. It will hopefully give me good exposure to all the action behind-the-scenes,” says Arvind, a young cricket enthusiast.
Hareshwar, who volunteered during the Chennai Open, feels the same. “I got to observe the players at close quarters. What’s more, I got paid for it too,” he says.
With the irresistible combination of monetary gain coupled with being near their idols, teenagers are lining up to volunteer.
Rajeev Vijaykumar, head of the volunteer team at Chennai Open, says, “There were around 20 volunteers within the age group of 17 to 18. They got paid around ` 500 per day and they were responsible for all the activities of the players and their schedule.”
“The interview process basically checked their public relation skills and knowledge of sports, as there is a healthy bit of interaction involved in the job,” he adds, elaborating on the nature of the job and its basic requirements.
Vikram Menon, who is in charge of Phenomenon Sports, concurs with him and adds, “I allot small jobs to college students and it mainly involves a lot of event management. They are given jobs depending on which sport they are familiar with. Moreover, they are given room to innovate and come up with new ideas.”
It is evident that he is satisfied with his team of young volunteers, “The volunteers are really passionate about sports and smart to boot. Giving them such responsibilities not only results in them making some pocket money but also boosts their confidence levels.”
It’s a win-win situation for the teens. For Sanjeev, it was a dream-come-true experience. “It was the first time I did volunteering work. I used to watch matches from the stands as a kid. But watching it from the centre court was different,” he says.
Tushar, who has volunteered for the second time, says, “I was more clued in this time and it was a better experience altogether.”
While teens seem to unanimously agree on the various benefits of this trend, psychologist S. Nirmala points out the obvious loophole. “If such jobs are done surreptitiously, then it is definitely a cause for concern,” she states.
She is, however, quick to add, “There is nothing wrong with teenagers wanting to make money. If they are doing it with the consent of their parents and spending it wisely, there is absolutely no harm in the trend.”