Thanks but no thanks: 10,000 Super Bowl volunteers selected from 30,000 applicants

The chosen ones for the 2018 Super Bowl Crew 52 received notice Thursday.

The Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee chose more than 10,000 volunteers from the 30,000 who applied online beginning in August. Of those, roughly 15,000 prospective volunteers showed up for in-person interviews at the headquarters in City Center on Nicollet Mall.

Officially, 10,280 volunteers have been accepted, the committee said in a release, before clarifying later that a group of applicants who sent videos or interviewed late may soon be accepted.

The committee anticipates having 12,000 volunteers accepted with the goal of deploying 10,000 of them during the 10-day event. Volunteers are asked to work at least three shifts.

The volunteers are needed for mostly hospitality functions starting in late January and culminating with the game Feb. 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

From the airports around the state to downtown skyways and sidewalks of Nicollet Mall, visitors to the Twin Cities will rarely be without a volunteer in sight to greet them and help them navigate the town.

Since the state bid to host the game, organizers have hit on the theme of Minnesota hospitality. The game plan, repeated over and over, is that heat of Minnesota's hospitality will offset the potentially cold winter weather.

Called Crew 52, the volunteers received notice of their status from the cheer captain of the operation, retired Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, who wore the number 52 as a player.

Volunteers with human resources backgrounds already have been working by interviewing other prospects. Organizers say they expect 1 million visitors, with some 140,000 on the weekend of the game.

The next step is a pep rally on Nov. 12 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. They're also going to hear what's expected of them and learn "customer service and engagement techniques," the host committee announced.

Volunteers are expected to work three shifts of about four hours.

Elle Kehoe has led the organization and hiring of the volunteers under Super Bowl Host Committee CEO Maureen Bausch.

For their work, volunteers will be tricked out in Bold North Super Bowl gear that they get to keep, including a quality winter grade parka.

Of course, some of the volunteers will need those parkas because they will be standing outdoors.

Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747