Meet the Mainer who was a World Cup star volunteer

Meet the Mainer who was a World Cup star volunteer, highlighting how Gary Newell’s behind-the-scenes work at Boston’s World Cup drew global recognition. The Scarborough, Maine resident was honored as Boston’s “Unsung Hero,” a special award for World Cup volunteers focused on anti-doping support. On July 9, at Gillette Stadium, England midfielder Jude Bellingham praised Newell in a pre–France vs Morocco ceremony video. Newell was one of 10,000 hopeful fans who applied to volunteer, selected for roles that included notifying and escorting randomly chosen players for performance-enhancing drug testing. He watched all seven games from near the home bench and said he spoke with Kylian Mbappé. Newell’s background includes coaching and youth soccer work, including founding the Three Lions club in Cape Elizabeth.