82,000 mad fans and AC/DC are all in a day’s work for Samuel
SEDA student Samuel Silveira Lima has got a part-time job working at Ireland’s biggest stadiums – Croke Park and the Aviva. He told SEDA News about his experience.
Samuel please tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Samuel Silveira Lima, I am from Brazil, I am 25 years old and I have a degree in production engineering. I study at the Upper intermediate class in SEDA and my teachers are Paulina and Ramona.
Tell us about your job at the Aviva Stadium and Croke Park.
Most of the events have been happening at Croke Park. The first time I worked there was at The Script show on June the 20th. The second one was at the AC/DC concert in July (2015) at the Aviva Stadium. The third and fourth were at Ed Sheeran’s concerts at Croke Park.
I also worked at a number of GAA games and that was really good – one of the best experiences that I’ve had in my life. It was great working at the Semi Final Gaelic football games. We had a full house, almost 82,000 fans!
What exactly do you do during these games and shows?
When I work at concerts, I work as a runner and seller. We work in groups of three people selling beer, wine and water throughout the concert, and before the products are gone the runner needs to take the bag, go to the place where the products are stored and bring more. During sports games, I work as part of the Steward team. I just have to face the audience and try to keep the aisle between seats free, but it is impossible most of the time…
What were the best games or concerts that you worked at?
All of them were amazing, I really enjoyed them! However, if I had to choose one or two of them, I would choose the AC/DC concert and Dublin vs Mayo GAA All Ireland Football Championship Semi Final game. I really enjoyed both!
How do the Irish fans behave? Have you ever been involved in a situation with the fans?
I would say that they are extremely crazy. They scream and say bad words all the time. But for me, all fans in the world have more or less the same behaviour during games. They scream and say bad words… It doesn’t matter where they are – Europe, Asia or South America – they just want to see their team win. The big problem in Brazil is that sometimes they use fists and also guns to express their feelings. Here, I’ve never seen any situation like somebody jumping on the pitch or fighting.
Do you have any tips for SEDA students who wish to work at those big events?
There is no secret to getting this job: you just need to apply and wait for a call. I met plenty of other foreign students doing the same job, so it’s not that difficult to get it.
