COMM U N I T Y
BY: LINDSAY CUOMO
The Sooner Standard
Stadium Volunteers Help Make Gameday Possible
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orman is the third largest city in Oklahoma, and on game days, the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium becomes the fourth largest, Michael Beirne likes to say. Sooner football games require an enormous team of people, said Beirne, University of Oklahoma assistant athletic director of event management and camps. Many of them are volunteers, and the work they do is just their way of giving back. “The number of folks who work at the stadium on game days is incredible. It takes about 5,000 people and about half of those are volunteers,” Beirne said. Volunteers have an impact on just about every aspect of game day, including ticketing, ushering and concessions. Some even serve in various roles on the field, he said. The volunteers are what helps to make the Sooner experience possible. “They are at the gates greeting guests, passing out stickers, helping get you
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to where you need to go. They’re that smiling face that can give people even more excitement, working Fanfest, ushering, keeping the peace, enhancing the experience, doing jobs that can be thankless at times, but they signed up to be there. “They want to be there, working and helping. These are people who know Oklahoma and have a vested interested in giving back to the university.” People from all walks of life dedicate their time on Sooner game days to help make the fan experience a safe and positive one. Doctors, nurses, scouts, youth athletes, students from campus organizations and more come together to support OU, the team and the fans. “The volunteer program speaks volumes to the Oklahoma Standard you often hear about,” Beirne said. “They’re committed to help because they want to, not because they have to. You can really see it. It has always struck me. It’s a cool process.”
Many times, there’re not enough posts for all of the people who volunteer, and people are turned away, Beirne said. “We try to make it a point to incorporate these groups into the experience, and they are dedicated and have done it for many years. But we do have to turn a lot of people away that we don’t have posts for.” For Beirne, last year’s military appreciation game was a standout event, and much of the credit goes to the loyal Sooner volunteers. “Last year’s military appreciation event was our largest volunteer event. We were able to pull out all the stops,” Beirne said. “That whole game we had so many contributing. It was a special day for fans, for OU ROTC and all involved.” “Sports offer a way for people to come together, and we do everything we can to make sure our fans have a good time. Our volunteers make that happen.” – BSM
