INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Organizers preparing for the upcoming Super Bowl in Indianapolis said they're elated that 13,000 people have volunteered to help with visitors and events surrounding the game.
More than 2,000 of those volunteers attended a training kick-off event Wednesday evening at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Those who have volunteered to help include 3,000 people on a waiting list, who won't know a specific assignment until next month, the leaders of the Super Bowl host committee said.
"Our ambition was to be inclusive and get as many people involved as possible, and the numbers are off the charts," committee chairman Mark Miles said.
Volunteers will handle everything from greeting fans at the airport for the Feb. 5 game to giving directions to drivers on downtown streets near Lucas Oil Stadium.
A National Football League official told the volunteers at Wednesday's event that they have the "opportunity to really demonstrate what Hoosier hospitality is all about," The Indianapolis Star reported.
"You count as a city that knows how to do things right," Frank Supovitz, NFL's senior vice president of events, said.
Some of those volunteers said they wouldn't miss the chance to be part of the excitement of the first Super Bowl to be held in Indianapolis.
"We volunteer for a lot of things in the city," Shelley Reeves told WRTV. "It's just a great city and I just want to be a host to those visiting."
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