The second Women’s Rugby World Cup to be hosted by England, the 2025 tournament opened at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. Global pop sensation Anne-Marie delivered a live performance just moments prior to the opening match between England and the United States.

The opening show was produced by Live Nation, we were commissioned to supply the stage and three LED dollies for the pre-match performance. We manufactured the stage using various section sizes of 1.5mm ERW steel and clad in 18mm plywood. The stage tops were painted with a metallic silver paint substrate to ensure a non-slip surface for the performers, the ends of the treads painted gold. The fascia featured a holographic vinyl applied to di-bond, that captured the changing light of the setting sun throughout the performance.

There was only a ten-minute window to build the stage on the pitch, it was therefore manufactured in sections and on site pushed onto the pitch and locked in place with the support of a local crew. Following an enigmatic performance by Anne-Marie, we removed the stage from the pitch within the three-minute strike slot ready for the opening game of the tournament to begin.