Toronto FIFA Volunteering was an absolute joke. Incompetent staff, broken promises, and zero respect.
I need to vent because I am still furious about how the Toronto FIFA volunteering committee treated us. I came into this experience so incredibly hyped. When I first got the offer, I was genuinely excited to be part of something massive for the city. Instead, it turned out to be the single worst volunteering experience of my entire life—and I have volunteered for many major events over the years.
The lack of organization was staggering. The supervisors had absolutely no clue what they were doing. It was painful to watch. What makes it sadder is that so many of the volunteers I personally met are highly successful professionals in their day jobs—people holding actual leadership and director roles. Yet, we were all forced to take time out of our busy schedules to answer to total space cadets who couldn't organize a paper bag.
FIFA and the local committee do not give a single damn about us. They cheaped out at every single turn. The biggest slap in the face was the "volunteer appreciation" event. We were explicitly promised by management that we would receive our volunteer thank-you gifts there. It was a lie. Not only did we get zero gifts, but we were forced to stand in lines for hours just to get basic food and access the other event areas. You want to appreciate us by making us stand in line for hours on our day off?
They used our free labor, disrespected our time, lied to our faces about the perks, and treated us like cattle. To anyone thinking about volunteering for any future FIFA events in this city: don't bother. They will drain your energy, waste your time, and give you absolutely nothing but frustration in return.