Volunteers dressed for success

Over 5,500 Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011) volunteers today began collecting the uniforms they will be wearing during the Tournament.

Rugby New Zealand 2011 CEO Martin Snedden was on hand today at the pick-up location in Auckland to hand out the first uniforms to a group of volunteers.

The brightly coloured distinctive kit will help distinguish members of Team 2011 around the country, who will be the face of New Zealand, on the ground, at stadiums and out in the streets.

Said Snedden “The uniforms look fantastic and will easily allow spectators to seek out volunteers to ask for help. Having met many members of the team today, I think they will all be great ambassadors for the Tournament and for New Zealand,”

Each volunteer has been issued with a range of gear including pants, a Rugby jersey, polo shirt, beanie, cap, backpack, drink bottle and a fleece-lined jacket.

Kiwi volunteer Lui Rudolph will be working as part of the workforce team and began her duties early, assisting with the distribution process.

“The uniform is stunning, the colours are great and we are really going to stand out in the crowd,” she said. “Everyone is really excited and it is just great to be a part of it. There is a real buzz and the feeling so far is working us up. It’s going to be fantastic!”

Her sentiments were shared by Russian student Roman Kozlov who is volunteering for the Accreditation team.

“I just tried the sizes on and it looks great. The quality is very good, said Roman. “I think people here are now very excited. For us this is the beginning of the Tournament. I just can’t wait for it to start.”

Volunteers around the country will be collecting their uniforms over the next week with roles beginning anytime between now and the start of the Tournament.