England’s Jude Bellingham has been among the World Cup’s brightest stars, but a volunteer at Boston Stadium has caught his eye, triggering special recognition as one of the tournament’s few “Unsung Heroes.”
Amid his nation’s run to Wednesday’s semifinal against Argentina, Bellingham met Gary Newell, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in the high-stakes, strictly controlled anti-doping room after a group-stage scoreless draw with Ghana.
The brief interaction led to a special message of thanks from Bellingham for the spark Newell brought to the tournament as a volunteer.
“I have heard you have given your whole life to football,” Bellingham said in a video message to Newell, “and I just wanted to say thank you for everything you have done for those kids you’ve helped and given them the opportunity to get to the stage like me.”
Bellingham, the tournament’s top-scoring midfielder with six goals and one assist in six matches, has dominated in England’s World Cup run, including consecutive braces in the knockout stages against Mexico and Norway.
Newell, a long-time volunteer soccer coach in his small Maine community, helped in FIFA’s anti-doping program throughout the seven matches at Boston Stadium. There, he linked with Bellingham as a “chaperone,” accompanying the star player following a sample collection.
A recipient of a rare “Unsung Hero” award from FIFA, Newell said the recognition from Bellingham “overwhelmed” him with emotion.
“Immense,” Newell said in a video after he received the award. “Not only is Jude one of the best players in the world, but he is also one of the best human beings. I am thankful that I got to witness that first hand: Seeing him as a professional on the pitch as well as off of it.”
Newell’s message to Bellingham is simple: “Go England!”
For Newell, this wasn’t just a tournament gig; it was the culmination of a life dedicated to soccer.
He founded his own community club in Maine, naming it ‘Three Lions Soccer’ after the national team he’s cheered for his entire life.
Even among the ranks of 50,000 World Cup volunteers, Newell stood out—not just for his efficiency in the anti-doping unit, but for the morale he boosted by famously surprising fellow volunteers with Maine lobster rolls before every shift.
Newell’s volunteer service turned into a special reunion with a former player he coached in high school: Kevin Clark, who worked as a FIFA venue operations director at Boston Stadium.
“He pushes you to the limit every time,” Clark said in a video.
Newell described volunteering as “very difficult to put into words.”
“If you can gather up a gamut of emotions, whether it’s grace, seeing people volunteer and being selfless, and being a part of something, the happiness, the joy that we have volunteering; there is not just one simple thing I could say about the experience.”
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