Bridgnorth girls' football team to play vital role in Euro 2025 final using groundbreaking robot technology
Members of a Bridgnorth girls' football team will play a unique role in the UEFA Women's Euros final this weekend.
Three players from Bridgnorth Spartans will operate a remote-controlled robot inside St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, this Sunday (July 27), giving them front-row virtual access to one of the biggest events in the women’s football calendar - all from the comforts of the UK.
Supported by the UEFA Foundation and using technology from French firm Awabot, the initiative allows youngsters to control a roaming robot via a laptop from hundreds of miles away, allowing them to virtually explore behind-the-scenes areas of major stadiums, interact with players and media, and experience elite football from the inside.
Spartans youth players have already taken part in the project during the earlier stages of the tournament, controlling the robot when England faced the Netherlands, Sweden, and Italy.
The girls have welcomed players and officials to the ground, toured the dressing rooms, chatted with physios, and seen the England squad warm up from pitch-side.
They've also interacted with BBC and ITV presenters, including Lionesses legend and winner of the 2022 UEFA Women's Euros, Jill Scott.
England head coach Serena Wiegman even stopped for a photo with the Spartans players, who can be seen via a screen on the robot.
Now three of the Bridgnorth-based football club's players, Chloe, Phoebe, and Poppy, have been invited to control the robot on Sunday when England will bid to retain their European Championship title against Spain.
Bridgnorth Spartans women’s football lead Anne Johnson, who has coordinated the club’s involvement in the project, said: "It’s been an amazing journey so far, and now we’ve been invited back for the final!
"Chloe, Phoebe and Poppy, three of our youth players, have been trained to drive the robot and will be representing the club on one of the biggest stages in women’s football. These kinds of experiences build aspirations, create lasting memories, and show our girls what’s possible."
