‘Unlike anything’ – England to be met with sporting first moments before Women’s World Cup match

Minutes before they step out onto the field, England’s Red Roses will not just have the rallying words of coach John Mitchell ringing in their ears.

They will also have passionate words and phrases of encouragement from thousands of supporters across the country during the Women’s Rugby World Cup on home soil.

In what is a revolutionary world-first, Red Roses partner O2 will create a team talk generated via AI prior to one of their matches at the tournament.

The initiative, fittingly titled ‘Voice of a Nation’, allows fans to send in a voice note via a dedicated WhatsApp channel.

How is the team talk made via AI?

From there, the messages will be collated via an advanced AI technology system that has been developed alongside The 5Gs, a specialist creative agency who create unique tech initiatives.

Those same messages will be melded into a single one that displays the wide range of ages, demographics and accents that make the United Kingdom the cultural melting pot it is today.

Given the differing levels of audio bound to be submitted, O2 and The 5Gs will use techniques such as noise reduction, upscaling and remapping to turn the message into one of incredible quality.

The audio of endless unique voices will also be layered and blended by AI to come up with a powerful and emotive final piece.

TV personalities Vicky Pattison and Olivia Attwood are just two of the many names who have already participated in the groundbreaking endeavour.

For Red Roses skipper Zoe Aldcroft, the thought of hearing fans from all across the country moments before they take the field in Sunderland is sure to send tingles down their spines.

"This is such an exciting moment, not just for us as a team, but for fans across the country,” Aldcroft said.

“To know that thousands of voices will come together to create one rallying cry is incredibly powerful.

“It's unlike anything we've seen before in sport, and I can't wait to hear what it sounds like.

"Having a home Women's Rugby World Cup is already special, but to have that wave of support turned into something we can actually hear and feel makes it even more meaningful."

What are England’s chances of winning the Women’s Rugby World Cup?

The Red Roses go into this iteration of the Women’s World Cup as the number one ranked team on the planet.

So dominant has Mitchell’s side been, England’s last defeat was in the final of the 2022 Women’s World Cup against New Zealand.

The same opponents were the Red Roses’ second-most recent defeat and that was in July 2019.

Despite England’s longtime supremacy as the leading force of women’s rugby, they have won the Women’s World Cup only once since 1994.

Of the seven tournaments that have followed, five of them have ended in runners-up finishes for the Red Roses.

But England will be desperate to avoid picking up a sixth runners-up medal on home soil, especially given the final at Allianz Stadium, better known as Twickenham, on September 27 has already sold out.

The iconic venue, which boasts a capacity of 82,000, holds the record for the biggest attendance at a women’s rugby match when 58,498 fans turned out to watch England beat France in the 2023 Six Nations.

Yet that figure is poised to be shattered in just over a months’ time and 2025 Rugby World Cup chair Gill Whitehead cannot wait.

“The prospect of the girls running out of the tunnel to the three tiers of a packed Allianz Stadium is something I never hoped or thought I would see,” Whitehead said.

“It is what girls’ dreams are made of.”

How can fans get involved in the ‘Voice of a Nation’ project?

For fans wanting to contribute their voice, they can simply record a voice note on WhatsApp and send it to 07851317242.

Those that do will go straight into a ballot for the chance to win a VIP experience at the Women’s Rugby World Cup final on September 27.