Jessie Adcock’s focus for the next seven weeks is ensuring the games proceed on time, on budget, and without any major complications
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The white leather sneakers Jessie Adcock wears with her black business suit offer a hint that her job is a bit different than most other corporate gigs.
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Her days are filled with the usual meetings, phone calls and report deadlines. But a mandatory part of her new role is going to professional soccer matches.
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Adcock is host committee lead and chief delivery officer for Vancouver’s portion of the FIFA World Cup in June and July. And her focus for the next seven weeks is ensuring the games proceed on time, on budget, and without any major complications.
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“This will absolutely be the most complex thing that I’ve ever overseen the delivery of, especially given that it is a very high-profile event with significant consequences. And also a very, very hard deadline,” she said in a recent interview with Postmedia.
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Growing up in Metro Vancouver, Adcock didn’t play soccer but she is a sports fan. She also launched a successful career in leadership positions in government and corporate organizations.
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She never envisioned though she’d one day be in charge of organizing seven international soccer games for the most-watched sporting event in the world.
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“It’s a dream job,” she said.
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As a woman of colour, she hopes her experience leading FIFA Vancouver sends a positive message to youth in her hometown and beyond.
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“I never knew that I would ever achieve a level where I would be able to lead something like this. I would say, personally, I haven’t seen a lot of role models that look like me or leaders that look like me in this type of sport,” she said.
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Vancouver is one of 16 host cities in North America, and will deliver seven of this year’s 104 World Cup matches. An estimated 350,000 people are expected to visit Vancouver, and nearly three billion people watched the 2022 World Cup on TV.
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Adcock’s day-to-day responsibilities go beyond turf and jerseys.
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She oversees a team whose job is to work with governments and First Nations to make sure venues, including the two practice pitches, are ready; logistics for the seven games are in order; necessary messages have gone out to residents and businesses; and fans are kept safe.
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Adcock and her colleagues have also attended many soccer matches to ensure “a very deep understanding of the game.”
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With the first match scheduled for June 13, it’s now crunch time: Signs are going up across the city, plans are underway to open a FIFA merchandise store downtown, and the Fan Festival site at the PNE is being finished.
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Fan associations from other countries are being contacted about their needs while here, such as ensuring they have places to watch the games together.
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A FIFA “playbook” has been shared with local restaurants, hotels and stores, to encourage them to jump on the tournament bandwagon without breaking the football federation’s rules. They can decorate with country flags and soccer balls, but not anything with a FIFA logo or images that suggest “an official association” with the national teams.
