Volunteers wanted for Desert Swing golf competition

The 2016 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is looking for 450 volunteers to help with preparations for the kick-off to the European Tour Desert Swing opener.

ABU DHABI // The 2016 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is looking for 450 volunteers to help with preparations for the European Tour Desert Swing opener.

The volunteers will get a chance to work alongside golf greats such as Rory McIlroy, said Ahmed Al Qubaisi, Abu Dhabi Sports Council’s director of marketing and communication.

“This really is a memorable experience for golf fans and engages them with a legacy community, which shares great enthusiasm and friendship,” he said.

Volunteer roles include stewarding, operating leader boards and measuring the players’ tee shots for international television and statistics.

ADSC said a number of the volunteers would be selected from Abu Dhabi schools.

Martin Baldock, the championship’s chief marshal, said people travelled from other countries for a chance to be volunteers. “Each year, we see people from all over the world taking time off work to travel and participate. In recent years there’s been a significantly higher number of Emirati volunteers, a sure indicator of how the game is growing in popularity among the local community,” he said.

Registration is open at abu-dhabigolfchampionship.com. The tournament runs from January 21 to 24.