Over 1,000 volunteers needed for Games of Texas 2024

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The City of Brownsville is expecting a bigger turnout for the Games of Texas it will be hosting this year and is needing over 1,000 volunteers.

Last year, the games hosted over 10,000 athletes and brought in more than $4,000,000 in sales tax for the city. The City of Brownsville is expecting an even bigger turnout this summer.

City of Brownsville Sports Park Manager Araceli Sandoval says that is why they need more than 1,000 volunteers.

“We have about 1,200 shifts that we are trying to fill," Sandoval said. "They are all broken up into five or four-hour shifts, so it's not the whole day. It's just a few hours that you can help and that would help us out a lot.”

As a volunteer, people will be able to choose from 16 sports and 10 venues across the city to participate in. Sandoval says many of the tasks are easy but essential to make sure each event runs smoothly.

“It’s from greeting athletes to helping in concessions and to helping in hospitality to lining up the kids for their races and there is a little bit for everybody," she added.

Volunteers need to be at least 16 years old to volunteer and can also get credit hours if they are still in school.

Texas Amateur Athletic Federation Executive Director Mark Lord says the help is needed as the city expects up to 30,000 people in the area to watch the games.

He says volunteers are not just contributing to the games’ success but might also be watching a future Olympian.

“You never know you might be watching a future Olympian because we have several past hall of farmers that have participated in Olympic games," Lord said. "We have gold medals, world record holders in past years, so come out.”

The four-day event begins on July 25 and runs through July 28.

Volunteers can pick the location, sport, and shift they want to participate via the website.