Allison Taylor, Director of Planning and Lands at the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, confirmed that the exceptional success achieved during the organization of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ is an unprecedented historical achievement, expressing her pride in participating in the work team for more than nine years, on the road to preparing to host the first edition. From the World Cup football in the Arab world and the Middle East.
Alison added in an interview with (Qatar2022.qa), as part of a new series by the Supreme Committee entitled “An Exceptional World Cup”, in which she sheds light on the efforts of her team, which played a key role in the journey to organize the World Cup: “Working on a huge global project such as the World Cup is the opportunity of a lifetime for This unique opportunity came to me after working in Qatar for two years, so I was immediately excited about this step, to contribute to the country’s development process, and of course I would not have said no to a project on such a global level.”
Alison, an engineer specializing in urban planning, held many tasks throughout her nine years in the Supreme Committee, where she participated in the planning and construction stages of the stadiums and facilities of the tournament, until the start of the operational operations phase during the tournament.
Join the World Cup team
American Allison, 40, joined the Supreme Committee in 2014, and was originally appointed to manage building permits for stadiums, after which she would undertake the tasks of reviewing designs for stadiums and general plans for the areas surrounding tournament stadiums, and in this context, Allison continued: “I was assigned to work in allocating Lands to be used during the tournament, as many work teams helped identify temporary sites suitable for operational operations, and communicated about them from their owners, and this included official and unofficial sites for the tournament, such as stadiums, training complexes, fan areas, transport stations and broadcasting facilities.
The main center of operations
Regarding her role during the World Cup days, Alison said that she worked from the main operations center representing the team of unofficial sites for the tournament, noting that the center included representatives of many entities, including partners from the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA), and the Public Works Authority (Ashghal). ), in addition to a number of command centers, and she added: “We dealt with many issues that arose during the event, and we worked to ensure the smooth running of operations. An example of this is weeks before the start of the tournament, the work teams needed to enter the tournament sites to complete the facilities work At that time, I strived very hard to obtain the necessary approvals from the concerned parties, so that the work teams would play their role in putting the final touches in preparation for the big event.
Notable achievements
As for the most important achievements that she is proud of throughout her journey on the way to the World Cup, Alison said: “The most important thing I am proud of is our success in organizing the best version in the history of the World Cup, after this long journey. During my participation in this project over a period of nine years, and with the passage of time, “I always wondered: How will this be? Will we actually be able to reach the finish line? The achievement was not only related to my work, but it was also an exceptional achievement for the State of Qatar, and for all my colleagues, it was a great achievement.”
Companions and experiences on the road to the World Cup
About her feeling after the curtain fell on the tournament, Alison said: “Of course I feel very proud to be involved in this unique project, and I came away from this journey with an amazing group of wonderful colleagues and many amazing experiences on the road to the World Cup. I have been fortunate to work on this project almost from its inception And the greatest feeling for me now is seeing all these stadiums come to life, being operated at their full capacity, and thousands of fans enjoying great times in these sites that I saw when they were just conceptions on paper.”
The most important memories of the World Cup
When asked about her most important memories with the World Cup, Alison said: “I have many favorite memories with this dazzling global event, one of which is with my family who came from the United States, as my father came with some of my family members from California, and it is of course a long journey, and they have never Visiting Qatar, and I saw them moving between the stadiums, using the Doha metro, and expressing their amazement at this wonderful country, as everyone treats them with kindness and hospitality. This was one of my most important memories with the tournament, in addition to my attendance at the matches of the most prominent sporting event in the world.”
Lessons learned
In her interview, Alison touched on the lessons learned from her experience with the World Cup, noting that the main lesson is coordination and teamwork, and she said: “Working in the spirit of one team and cooperation among its members closely is extremely important for the success of the mission. Certain situations occurred at work, during which Carrying out some tasks individually, and not through teamwork, and problems may arise as a result, so I always recommend picking up the phone to talk to each other and deal kindly with others, in order to accomplish the task, because this success in the end counts for the work team.
Tips for the future
At the end of her interview, Allison gave her advice to everyone who has the opportunity to work in major sporting events in the future, and said: “You must first realize what you are about to do, and be aware of the size of the event in which you work, and expect that you will face enormous pressures during the performance of your daily work tasks, despite You have to do the work to the fullest, and you must realize the impact of this event on others, and do not miss enjoying all the details of the tournament because its days pass quickly, so be sure to create unique memories that you are proud of and will always remain with you.”
