When Watford FC welcomed F.C. Hansa Rostock supporters travelling from Germany, the club wanted to explore how an AI-assisted PA system could provide targeted, multilingual announcements in a way that supported existing matchday safety arrangements during ingress and egress.
NPSA guidance makes clear that Hostile Vehicle Mitigation involves more than physical barriers. It combines security processes, procedures and physical measures, including deterrent communications, security awareness, response planning and traffic management.
The Challenge
International away support created an additional communication requirement. Watford FC needed a practical way to provide safety, service and directional information to supporters in both English and German, within a busy matchday environment.
Any equipment also needed to have a minimal footprint and complement, rather than obstruct the crowd and stadium operations.
“Overall, the Audiebant PA system is a very good piece of equipment that had the great ability to sound in English and in other foreign languages for desired messages.”
The Solution
Working in close partnership with Watford FC, we specified one Audiebant tower with four directional speaker outputs to deliver targeted safety and service announcements to supporters.
The system enabled messages to be changed as communication requirements evolved throughout the event, with English announcements quickly translated into German. This gave the safety team a practical way to communicate directly with visiting F.C. Hansa Rostock supporters and reduce the impact of language barriers.
Designed as a solution with minimal set-up, the Audiebant system required no fixed infrastructure, power supply or data cabling. Battery and solar power made the unit straightforward to integrate into existing matchday operations, while its compact, mobile design meant it could be repositioned if operational requirements changed.
Managed remotely on site through an app, the team were able to control volume and messaging or record new announcements as required. AI-generated voiceovers provided rapid translation, with both male and female voice options offering greater variety and helping prevent repeated announcements from becoming overly familiar.
Watford FC reported no issues with visiting supporters finding their way along the route or at the stadium during the event, and the compact footprint, multilingual capability and ability to adapt messaging quickly were all viewed positively. Watford FC also identified potential value in combining audio with visual messaging at future events, subject to appropriate assessment and stakeholder approval.
Ultimately, the trial demonstrated how flexible, multilingual audio can complement existing matchday safety arrangements, providing an adaptable communication layer for both routine information and, where required, agreed emergency messaging.
Practical Communication as Part of Proportionate Protection
Effective HVM considers how products, people and processes work together to reduce vulnerability, manage consequences and support an effective response. Communication can form part of those layers, from security-minded and deterrent messaging before an incident to clear emergency information that supports response if an incident occurs.
At Watford FC, Audiebant was used to provide multilingual safety, service and directional announcements, helping the club communicate with visiting supporters in both English and German. No incident occurred during the trial, so its emergency communication capability was not required.
However, the same ability to deliver targeted, adaptable multilingual announcements would also support a venue’s agreed emergency communications arrangements, providing clear voice messaging and guidance in relevant languages to different supporter groups when information needs to be communicated quickly.
At Crowdguard, our Plan – Provide – Protect methodology is built around integrated products and processes, not just barriers. Audiebant demonstrates how adaptable communications can form another practical layer within that wider approach, where identified as appropriate through the event’s risk assessment and operational planning.