Interview: Euan Chess, life at the FIFA Woman's World Cup

We caught up with our very own Talent Partner, Euan Chess after his time as Talent Co-ordinator at the FIFA Women's World Cup. Have a read of his experience at the World Cup and some of his advice for getting into major sports events!

What has your experience been like as a Talent Co-ordinator for the FIFA Women’s World Cup?

A great experience. The tournament was a huge success and the team that delivered it was great to work with. FIFA shifted the LOC model to a more centralized Local FIFA Subsidiary model for this tournament which came with some unique challenges that the team successfully overcame. This change did mean I was exposed to an incredible number of teams that were great at keeping the entire workforce up to date with how they were successfully delivering their small part of such a huge operation was certainly eye-opening. As was the unique challenge of the tournament head offices being split between two time zones in Australia and New Zealand.

Can you tell us a bit about your work and what you did?

The role was a real mix of responsibility. Initially, I was supporting the Recruitment team with screening and interviewing candidates for roles. Teams were organized into ‘pods’ to increase team efficiency in processing the colossal volume of applications. As we approached tournament time, I was trusted to lead the project to recruit, interview, offer, and onboard 135 Venue Ticket Assistants. This made me the central contact between Recruitment, Ticketing, Accreditation, and HR teams – meaning that I focused on ensuring high-quality status reporting, team meetings and relationships.

What was it like to be embedded with a Local Organising Committee for such a historic major event?

Pretty exciting. Australia were fantastic hosts and the Matildas captured the national imagination. Leaving the office in Sydney CBD and seeing people everywhere in Matildas shirts was a reminder of how significant this event was for women’s football. Being embedded in a LOC was a different experience, to be honest, it was seamless. The team treated me as one of their own and was trusted the same as LOC employees who had been there for a long time preparing for the tournament.

What have been your biggest highlights?

On a professional level, managing the project to hire 135 Venue Ticket Assistants in only a few weeks was a real challenge. Personally, seeing the same Venue Ticket Assistants working at the national stadium in Sydney on the World Cup final day was a tangible reminder of my team’s hard work.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work at the next Major Event in the sports calendar?

• Be prepared to be flexible – things move very quickly and teams require support from all angles.
• Work on your skills and not just your event knowledge – you will be working with a global team of experienced event professionals who will need you to be accountable, proactive and able to take on responsibility
• Tailor your CV – the CV is by far the most important part of your application and recruiters don’t have much time to read them. Make sure your summary is tight to the role and clear.