Many volunteers sign up to get to know other people in their city and be part of an amazing international event. For French volunteers Marie and Wilfried, their experience started that way – but quickly turned into a real love story.

The southern French city of Nice hosted six matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019™. Both Marie and Wilfried were relatively new to the city in 2019. Civil servant Wilfried arrived in 2017 from Brittany for professional reasons, and Marie moved from her home town Chartres to study in 2018.

When Marie, 23, went out for a stroll with her mother who was visiting her, saw the adverts for the possibility to volunteer at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019, she signed up on the spot. “I told myself it could help me meet people and get out,” explained Marie. “That’s how I got into it. Also, I used to play football; I played for two years and enjoyed it.”

Wilfried, who is 27, had already done plenty of volunteering, including spending six years within the safety and security management team for the Don Jigi Fest, an eclectic music festival in Brittany. “I said to myself that the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 would be an international event, so I needed to get involved,” said Wilfried. “Also, at the time, I was in the police force, so I thought my experience could be useful for this international sporting event.”

Indeed, he was placed on the Safety & Security team, while Marie was a Spectator Services volunteer. She helped to greet spectators, using her Italian to assist visitors from Italy, and occasionally helping lost children.

But the biggest thing Marie and Wilfried took from the tournament was their relationship. They met at a social eventfor volunteers in a bar watching France play Brazil in Le Havre on 23 June 2019. Wilfried was the one to step up and talk to Marie first. “It’s a little bit thanks to FIFA that I’m here with Marie today,” he said. “And that I was able to work up the courage to speak to her! We became a couple very quickly. It was really natural,” added Wilfried.

They met quite late on in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019, and Wilfried said that it made the experience last even longer. “I left my old job for a new adventure and we just moved in together quite naturally without really asking questions. The COVID-19 lockdown then arrived and that was a bit of a ‘crash test’. We lived through lockdown together and survived it, and now it’s been four years.”

Marie and Wilfried married on 20 May 2023 and have plenty of plans for the future. “Eventually, we would like to buy a house. We want children as well, but for the moment we’re enjoying our lives and are happy – everything is going well. We’re taking it one step at a time and can’t wait to see what the future brings,” said Wilfried.

In addition to their meeting, the experience of volunteering in Nice was rewarding for both of them. Wilfried has fond memories of the third-place play-off between England and Sweden, when he realised the extent of what the tournament had achieved.

“More and more people are interested in and willing to engage with women’s sport in general. I think with this tournament we made a little bit of sporting history,” he said. He explained that a major sporting event brings people together into a sort of bubble of excitement. “It’s a common link which attracted us to the event,” added Wilfried. “So, there’s obviously something which bring us together and create that link. And then the volunteering programme welcomes you and creates that sparkle which makes the event unique. What I’d say to anyone who’s hesitating or who’s never volunteered at this type of event is not to hesitate. It’s a human adventure which can only bring positive things,” he said.

The couple also advised that people should be their natural selves while volunteering – something which surely helped to bring Marie and Wilfried together. And while FIFA’s many volunteering opportunities vary hugely, Marie suggested some might be more suitable than others.

“You have to be quite outgoing, especially if you’re put in a role linked to welcoming spectators, where you’re always rubbing shoulders with the public.” Friendships forged during volunteering can be strong, and as well as becoming a couple, Wilfried and Marie also remain in touch with their fellow volunteers. With everything the couple has gained from helping out with varying tasks at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019, they very much hope to volunteer again at future events.

“Volunteering makes you feel good. That’s the biggest gift and it’s literally priceless,” concluded Wilfried.

Interested in becoming a volunteer at a FIFA event? Find out more about how to join the FIFA Volunteer community here.