Posted by

Renata Sabini ,

December 31, 2014 Email

Renata Sabini



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My passion lies in the sport of soccer. My name is Renata Sabini, and It is with tremendous pleasure that I share with you my memorable experience of participating in FIFA’s U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 Youth Programme as a member of the ball crew at the Montreal Olympic Stadium. Excitement bubbled within my teammates and I when we received a phone call from a FIFA coordinator to let us know that a few of us were selected to be part of the tournament’s ball crew. We accepted this offer with honour. Why would any soccer player miss an opportunity to experience a taste of international competitive flavor? Orientation for the event took place at the stadium a few days prior to start of the tournament. The purpose of the orientation was to ease the volunteers into their role by going on a tour of the stadium and practising their role for the tournament in a mock scrimmage. The volunteers were divided into three groups: ball fetchers, flag bearers and player escorts. Each group wore a different uniform. As a ball fetcher, my uniform consisted of a white cap, a grey jersey, black shorts, metallic blue running shoes, and an official game ball designed and furnished by Adidas, the tournament’s main sponsor. Icebreaking activities were held for the volunteers to allow everyone to meet one another and have some fun. We discussed the highlights of this summer’s World Cup in Brazil and realised how lucky we were to not only be attending, but participating in a thrilling and prestigious soccer event here in Canada. It was awe-inspiring to be in the presence of many up and coming female soccer players from around the world and many of them were not much older than me. It was impressive to witness such a high level of skill in a sport at such a young age. It was also incredible to hear the many different languages and accents spoken at the tournament. The French accent from France is different from our French accent in Quebec, but my favorite was the New Zealand accent. There was a big screen which zoomed in on players and showed replays of goals and near goals. During a first round game between France and Costa Rica, I was situated close to a play that was being replayed on the big screen. As I looked up, I saw myself on the big screen giving my ball to Fabiola Villalobos, a defender for team Costa Rica. It all happened so quickly, it was fun to see the replay on the big screen. The semi-final match between France and Korea Republic was a nail-biter and one that I will never forget. The match was tied nil-nil at the end of 90 minutes and had to go into overtime. Overtime play was drawing to a close, both contenders still vying for a goal. The roar in the Olympic Stadium was exhilarating as the crowd was alive with anticipation. France was the crowd favourite and was cheered on endlessly during these last minutes of play. The final whistle was blown ending overtime. The crowd went wild because the winner was to be decided by penalty kicks. During this match, I lucked out; I was positioned behind the goal net. I could only imagine what the shooter and the goalkeeper were feeling. I was totally on edge and I was only a spectator, a very close spectator. Both goalie and shooter prepared for the penalty kick. Should I shoot left or right, high or low? Left-footed or right-footed, should I dive left or right? I was glad I was just a ball fetcher. The pressure was immense. The score was tied at three after Subin Lee scored for Korea Republic for their final penalty kick. France still had its final penalty kick to take and Claire Lavogez, France’s star player, was the selected sniper. Everyone held their breath. Could she stay focused and score the victory goal? She approached the ball and prepared to shoot. Her shot was unstoppable and hit the back of the net. Cheers roared throughout the entire stadium. France won the match (4-3) and clinched a spot in the semi-finals against Germany.

Although I was not a ball fetcher at the final match between Germany and Nigeria, I was in attendance as a spectator. As a token of their appreciation, FIFA provided free tickets to all volunteers to the gold and bronze medal matches. It was such an unforgettable experience to have been part of such a world-class event. I learned a lot, met many new people and had lots of fun in the process. I highly recommend this opportunity to anyone should it become available to them. It was very inspiring. Who knows, next time, I could be promoted from ball fetcher to referee!