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A man and a woman fasten a large banner to wall bars, reading 'Aisti' in black text in the centre against a flumino-coloured background. By the wall, a pale Labrador retriever watches the work.

Volunteering at goalball tournaments

Aisti Sport ry runs goalball tournaments in Vantaa every year. These events need a number of volunteers in all kinds of roles — from goal judge to scorer, from DJ to canteen, from live stream to social media. We are looking for enthusiastic people for every tournament so that running the event successfully is possible at all. The value of volunteering is immeasurable. It is worth telling us you are interested in advance, in which case we save your contact details and get in touch directly closer to the event. You can email , or get in touch by phone via our contact page.

Volunteer roles at goalball tournaments

Goal judge

The goal judge follows the ball and raises a hand to signal if the ball crosses the goal line during play. The goal judge also returns the ball to the court when it goes out of play. The ball is dropped onto the sideline at the wing player's position, 1.5 metres from the goal. The goal judges on the substitution bench side guide the player to the bench during a substitution, and guide the player coming on to the court by the goal so that the player can touch the goal or otherwise identify the court boundaries. When the court gets wet with sweat, the goal judge also mops the floor on request. Fuller briefing at the venue.

A volunteer woman in a green staff vest has just raised her hand to signal a goal.

Scorer

The scorer records goals, goalscorers, substitutions made and timeouts used by the teams on a ready-made form. The scorer is briefed in more detail at the event and sits next to the referee, who advises as needed.

Three women working at the officials' table. In front, the game clock and the score 5–3 are visible.

Game clock operator

The game clock operator starts and stops the clock on the referee's commands. Put simply, the clock always stops on a whistle while play is running, and starts on the "play" command. The clock operator also records the teams' goals on the electronic display. In addition, the clock operator announces the remaining playing time at timeouts and official timeouts, if the event has no separate announcer. Fuller briefing at the event.

The clock operator sits behind the table holding the clock's remote control. They have a watchful expression, finger ready to press the button on the remote.

Live stream operator

The live stream operator makes sure the picture and sound work on the Goalball Finland YouTube page, and mutes the video for copyright reasons when music is playing. The stream operator also plays music during breaks in play, if the event has no separate announcer. Briefing for the role happens on site and it requires no significant IT skills.

Announcer (and DJ)

The announcer works at the tournament as needed, following ready-made instructions and a handbook. Their job is to announce the teams, the team representatives and the match referees before a match begins. The announcer also announces the state of the match at half time and the final result at the end. The announcer's duties may also include event advertising and other scripted interval announcements, as well as building the atmosphere. The announcer's tools are a microphone, handbooks for the announcements and the event's match programme, and possibly also a ready-made list for playing music, along with the equipment to play it. Briefing for the role can be given in advance if needed.

Social media reporter

The event's social media reporter's duties include regularly updating the tournament's Facebook event page with short match results and promotional posts about the canteen, for example. The reporter interviews people and gathers atmosphere clips from the event in the form of short videos and photos. These are published in Aisti Sport's social media stories and on the event page in real time, but can also be saved to the club's image bank. The most significant items are shared as posts on Aisti Sport's social media channels. Initial briefing for the role is given before the event.

Canteen staff

The canteen staff's duties include running the canteen and the sales point. The job is to present, sell and serve food and drink to customers, and to clear the tables. The canteen point may also sell Aisti Sport clothing or other products, in which case presenting and selling these is part of the job. The canteen is the heart of a tournament and serves as a lounge area, where cheerfulness and helpfulness count for a great deal. Canteen staff are briefed before the event.