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Hundreds of volunteers still needed for College Football Championship

 
The Tampa Bay Sports Commission is still looking for volunteers to work during the College Football Playoff National Championship the first weekend of January. Volunteers get a free visor, polo shirt, track jacket and four tickets to the "Playoff Fan Central" exhibit at the Tampa Convention Center.
The Tampa Bay Sports Commission is still looking for volunteers to work during the College Football Playoff National Championship the first weekend of January. Volunteers get a free visor, polo shirt, track jacket and four tickets to the "Playoff Fan Central" exhibit at the Tampa Convention Center.
Published Dec. 21, 2016

TAMPA — About 650 bundles of polo shirts, visors and track jackets have taken over a swanky conference room in the Tampa Bay Sports Commission's 21st-floor downtown office, each earmarked for a volunteer to wear while working the College Football National Championship in January.

But pulling off the weekend of parties and programs planned around the game will require a lot more polos, organizers said. As of Wednesday, about 400 of the 1,900 volunteer shifts scheduled for the event were still open, said Sports Commission executive director Rob Higgins.

The free, playoff-branded uniforms the Sports Commission provides each volunteer, as well as four free tickets to the interactive "Playoff Fan Central" at the Tampa Convention Center, parking passes and "special surprises," sweeten the deal for volunteers more than any other event the commission has hosted, he said.

"There are so many different benefits to volunteering, but the biggest thing is you get to be part of this historic opportunity to host the first college championship not only in Tampa Bay, but in the southeast," Higgins said. "And you really do get to be a part of the event when you're not working."

All volunteers must be 18 or older by January 1 and will be subject to a background check, said Tony Diaz, the Tampa Bay Sports Commission sales and events manager. Most shifts last a maximum of four and a half hours, but volunteers can sign up for multiple shifts doing everything from greeting fans at the airport to serving beverages along the Tampa Riverwalk. Volunteers won't be working during the game itself, but will run about 30 playoff events from as early as Jan. 4 to game day Jan. 9.

The biggest need is for courtesy car volunteer drivers to transport attendees throughout the event, Diaz said.

"You're driving around with a lot of the College Football VIPs and team VIPs too, so it's an experience I think a lot of volunteers will really get a kick out of," Diaz said.

The Sports Commission has posted videos of volunteer training sessions held last week to the event website tampabay2017.com. Those interested in volunteering can sign up on the site and pick shifts.

Contact Anastasia Dawson at adawson@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3377. Follow @adawsonwrites.