Northern Ireland v Lithuania (12/11/2021)

to individually unfurl and set out green and silver flags for the Switzerland WorldCup play- off match in November 2017. Remember them? “We were there for hours,” recalls Lyn of the tin foil foray. “Before a match I arrive a couple of hours early and put name bands round the seats and make sure everyone has a programme,” she explains of her usual Windsor Park duties. “We also hand out blankets for the outside seats, lovely rugs with the IFA badge on the corner. One German guy asked if he could take the rug home but they’re not for sale. Then when the game starts, we get to watch the match.” Seeing the game buckshee is all well and good but has rubbing shoulders with GAWA greats earned Lyn a camera roll chock full of celebrity selfies? “I don’t usually approach the guests but one time I saw Harry Gregg watching the match from inside the lounge. I went in and said ‘Mr Gregg can I have a photograph?’ and he said ‘If you call me Harry, not Mr Gregg!’. He was lovely. His son and grandson were with him that night , and his son took the photo. “I’ve also seen Marco Van Basten, but it’s mostly well known locals like Carl Frampton, Jonathan Rea, Arlene Foster and Kate Hoey. Brendan Rodgers was there one night and, of course, Harry would have been at all the matches.” According to Lyn, being a volunteer requires certain attributes to ensure the event runs smoothly. “You definitely need to be comfortable speaking to people,” she says. “You could be on ticketing, in the fan zone playing games with the kids or in hospitality, so you need to be able to work well with different fans and in different surroundings.” Volunteering with the Irish FA has also provided Lyn with front row seats to witness the meteoric rise of the women’s game. “The last Women’s World Cup attracted a big audience and it’s fantastic how most people have been amazed at the standard of play. Our women are doing so well and having Seaview sell out for the recent game against Austria was brilliant ,” she points out . “Their success has given young kids even more role models to look up to. The women have encouraged girls and boys to get out there and play sport . It’s so good for young people’s morale and mental health and it’s amazing to see.” Sadly, ongoing Covid restrictions mean Lyn and her fellow volunteers haven’t been called up for this current World Cup qualification campaign.

“The last match I worked at was NI v Netherlands in November 2019,” she says. “The one big exception was the UEFA Super Cup (when Chelsea beat Villarreal on penalties) . It was great . Some people were away on holiday and raging they couldn’t do it , but a lot of us were back and joined by a few new people, too. It had been so long.”

LYN COOKE WI TH THE LATE HARRY GREGG.

While Lyn awaits her next big call-up, including next year’s Women’s Euros, she is keen to see new recruits, especially younger people, sign up to volunteer. “There’s loads of stuff out there,” she says. “Anything you’re interested in you can volunteer at . The people running events know they need volunteers and are appreciative of what we do. “For big events there could be thousands applying so you never take anything for granted. “And bear in mind you don’t get paid or get your expenses covered. When I went to London for the hockey or Liverpool for the netball it cost me money but it was my choice. I wanted to go.” If, like Lyn, you fancy helping out and getting unprecedented access to headline events then now’s the time to set out your stall . “Look out for events advertised on Facebook and check out www.volunteernow.co.uk,” she suggests. Hopefully Lyn and her fellow volunteers will be back at the stadium soon, helping keep the show on the road, and those fancy blankets accounted for…

IRISHFA.COM

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