They divorced in 1992.[25]. [3] Nailsworth had become an urban district in 1894 and there was an effort to ensure the town was represented by a football team. [21] In April 2012, Forest Green introduced the first robot lawn mower to be used by a British football club on to its playing surface. [10] The club was then taken over by Ecotricity owner Dale Vince; Vince set out plans to make the club more eco-friendly, including removing red meat from players' diets, stopping selling meat products in the ground and treating the pitch with organic fertiliser. Nailsworth had become an urban districtin 1894 and there was an effort to ensure the town was represented by a footb… Forest Green Rovers, formerly known as Stroud FC, has been based at the New Lawn stadium in Nailsworth since 2006. The name Rovers was adopted in 1893, and the following year the club were founder members of the Mid-Gloucestershire League. [3] They joined both Division One of the Mid-Gloucestershire League and also the Dursley & District League for the 1899–1900 season. However, the highest all-time attendance was 4,836 for an FA Cup third round tie at home to Championship side Derby County. It will be able to be increased in size to 10,000 capacity depending on the club's success. The following season saw them finish as runners-up in the renamed National League, their highest-ever league position; in the subsequent play-offs they defeated Dover Athletic 2–1 in the semi-finals, before losing 3–1 to Grimsby Town in the final at Wembley. [4] After finishing as runners-up in 1948–49, they won successive league titles in 1949–50 and 1950–51. [30], "Power to the people: Dale Vince, green energy pioneer", "Dale Vince: UFOs, alternative energy and money", "Eco millionaire fights ex-wife's claim for maintenance 20 years after divorce", "The TH Interview: Dale Vince of Ecotricity", "Dale Vince: "The police should be better than us" – Leadership :: Real Business — The Champion of UK Enterprise", "How an 'off-grid' hippie built a wind energy empire", "Dale Vince: Tilting at windmills: how to turn the UK green", "Ecotricity gives £250,000 to Labour amid 'existential threat' from Tories", "Ecotricity founder to grow diamonds 'made entirely from the sky, "ENERGY firm Ecotricity will today confirm they are joining forces with Forest Green Rovers", "Dale Vince becomes Forest Green chairman", "Burger ban begins at Forest Green Rovers football club", "Veggie Burgers on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday", "Forest Green Rovers football club installs solar panels", "Robot lawn mower used by Forest Green Rovers football club", "Forest Green Rovers spread manure on football pitch", "Dale Vince: Forest Green Rovers using 'Moneyball' model", "Football club goes vegan in world first", "Forest Green top of the league after becoming 'world's first' football club to go entirely vegan", "Soy of the Rovers: the vegan football club kickstarting a green revolution", "Forest Green Rovers named 'greenest football club in world, "University Announces Honorary Doctorates and Fellowships", "Delayed divorce battle: Ecotricity founder Dale Vince's New Age traveller ex-wife wins cash fight", "Woman wins right to seek money from ex-husband 30 years after breakup", "BBC News – Woman could win cash payout 20 years after divorce", "Dale Vince divorce ruling 'like cashing in old lottery ticket, "Celebrities sign statement of support for Caroline Lucas – but not the Greens", "The South West is rich in solar, wind, marine & geothermal energy. They also reached the 2001 FA Trophy Final, which again they lost. [5] Forest Green were amongst the founders of the Gloucestershire County League in 1968, where they played until moving up to the Premier Division of the Hellenic League in 1975 under the management of Peter Goring.[6]. [7] In 1996, he launched his first wind turbine supplying "green electricity". In February 2011, Rovers players were banned from eating red meat for health reasons, and a few weeks later the sale of all meat products was banned at the club's ground, leaving only vegetarian options and free-range poultry and fish from sustainable stocks. [11][12], Forest Green finished fifth in the Conference in 2014–15, qualifying for the promotion play-offs; they went on to lose 3–0 on aggregate to Bristol Rovers in the semi-finals. The western side of the ground is an open terrace available to home fans. What a strike! As sustainability grows in importance for fans, shareholders and the media, it wouldn’t be a wildcard move. [3] In 1906–07 they finished bottom of the Stroud & District League with zero points (although they had won one game, they had two points deducted for fielding an ineligible player). This followed a previous robot mower that had been in service at the club's former ground. [19] The East Stand is the largest-capacity stand at the ground and is a seated stand that contains seven boxes, the 'Green Man' public house, gym, dance studio and conference and leisure facilities. Read More Related Articles The couple subsequently became New Age travellers together, and had a son in 1983. [20] In December 2011, 180 solar panels were installed on the roof of the EESI stand, helping the club generate 10% of the electricity needed to run the stadium. Partners. Predictions, H2H, statistics and live score. The decision to move away from the traditional black and white stripes proved controversial with many supporters. Although they finished third in their first season in the new league, the next six seasons were spent in mid-table. The Court of Appeal rejected the claim, stating it had "no real prospect of success" and was an "abuse of process". The previous club badge was very similar to the FC Barcelona badge. Following Vince’s acquisition of the club in 2010, the venue received a flurry of green upgrades including solar panels, a solar-powered robot grass mower and the world’s first organic football pitch. [24][25][26][27] The plans were initially rejected by the planning authorities in June 2019 but revised plans were approved later that year. Reaching the 1999 FA Trophy Final, which they lost, they became the first club to reach the finals of both the FA Vase and FA Trophy. The design is for a stadium made almost entirely of wood, including the roof cantilevers. The away strip was also changed to an all-white kit with the dates '1899–2012' near the neckline of the kit to indicate the years when the club first played in an all-white kit and the decision to bring it back in 2012. [3] The name Rovers was adopted in 1893, and the following year the club were founder members of the Mid-Gloucestershire League. Fixtures between the two sides are humorously named El Glosico, a play-on-words of the famous El Clásico fixture.[16]. Follow. [3] Their first home league match on 6 October was a 1–1 draw with Brimscombe, and the club went on to finish the 1894–95 season in third place. Please contact your club for more information. Under Dale Vince's chairmanship Forest Green became the world's first vegan football club in 2015, and the New Lawn was installed with numerous eco-friendly innovations. He is thought to have invested £250,000, acquiring a stake of about 2% in the club, which is majority owned by Ecotricity, the green energy firm founded by Vince. The following season saw them reach the third round of the Cup for the first time, beating Team Bath and then Rochdale to set a third round tie at home to Derby County which they lost 4–3 in front of a record crowd of 4,836. [2] Investment in the playing squad saw the club compete for promotion into the English Football League, which they achieved with victory in the 2017 National League play-offs, having been beaten in the semi-finals in 2015 and in the 2016 final. [13] In February 2011, Rovers players were banned from eating red meat for health reasons, and a few weeks later the sale of all meat products was banned at the club's ground, leaving only vegetarian options and free-range poultry and fish from sustainable stocks. Forest Green Rovers’ stadium could called ‘Kevin’ after fans voted for the name in a Twitter poll.. [22] In December 2012, the club beat 200 other nominees to first prize in the Institute of Groundsmanship awards in the sustainability and environmental category for its organic pitch and the environmental aspects at The New Lawn. English Football League side, Forest Green Rovers (FGR) has been given the green light on its new sustainable stadium after being granted outline planning permission on Wednesday night (01/01). Dale Vince, OBE (born 29 August 1961) is a British "green energy" industrialist. Peach, representing the Forest Green area of Nailsworth. [3] The Mid-Gloucestershire League folded in 1901, with Forest Green left playing in the Dursley & District League. In 2018 Forest Green Rovers became the first football club in the world to be certified carbon neutral under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) initiative Climate Neutral Now. Here's @DaleVince owner of @ecotricity on why @UKLabour has his vote to tackle the climate crisis #GreenIndustrialRevolution #ByTheMany", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dale_Vince&oldid=1014798692, Officers of the Order of the British Empire, People associated with the University of Gloucestershire, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 March 2021, at 04:07. Having made his senior debut playing for Forest Green Rovers in the 2020 - 2021 season, the gifted Forward has struck 4 league goals in the League Two 2020 - 2021 season so far coming from a total of 10 appearances. Forest Green Rovers granted outline consent for new stadium. This terrace is the location for away fans and had previously housed home supporters. [3] They withdrew from the Dursley & District League in 1908.[3]. Their first home league match on 6 October was a 1–1 draw with Brimscombe, and the club went on to finish the 1894–95 season in third place. [7] After reverting to their original name, the club continued to struggle in the league until they were transferred to the Southern Division in 1995. How to watch the Bradford City vs Forest Green Rovers live stream video. "[27], Vince is paying legal costs for both parties, of over £500,000 so far, as divorce law permits costs to be charged to the combined resources of both parties. [6], Vince was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. ", "Forest Green Rovers spread manure on pitch", "Forest Green Rovers football club installs solar panels", "Robot lawn mower used by Forest Green Rovers football club", "Forest Green Rovers FC wins award for 'organic' pitch", "Winning stadium design announced / 2016 / First Team News / News / Home - Forest Green Rovers Football Club", "Forest Green Rovers build 'world's first wooden stadium, "Eco Park - About Ecotricity - Ecotricity", "Forest Green Rovers reveal plans for eco-friendly stadium made wholly from WOOD", "Football bosses approve world's first all-timber stadium", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Forest_Green_Rovers_F.C.&oldid=1012872974, Association football clubs established in 1889, Pages using infobox football club with unknown parameters, Football team templates which use short name parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Rovers, The Green, Green Devils, Green Army, Record transfer fee received: £350,000 from, This page was last edited on 18 March 2021, at 20:08. In 2004–05 Forest Green finished in the relegation zone, but were reprieved after Northwich Victoria were demoted due to issues with their stadium. Forest Green's first season in the Hellenic League Premier Division saw them finish fourth. [25] However, in March 2015 the Supreme Court set aside this decision, ruling that there was no time limit in law for claims for financial provision, and the claim could progress in the High Court. In June 2011, the club began work on making the stadium environmentally friendly following the arrival of new owner and green energy entrepreneur Dale Vince. This made Nailsworth the smallest town ever to host a Football League club.[12]. It also has the poorest regions in the UK! Leaving school at 15, he spent time as a New Age traveller. Forest Green claim to be 100 per cent vegan with their stadium made entirely of wood. After beating Dagenham & Redbridge 3–1 in the semi-finals, the club defeated Tranmere Rovers by the same scoreline in the final at Wembley, earning promotion to League Two. The League Two side, who became the first ‘vegan football club’ in 2015, asked fans on social media to suggest a new name for The New Lawn Stadium, with the club demanding that new sponsor Innocent Smoothies is inserted in the name. [3] At the start of the 2006–07 season the club moved to the New Lawn. Although they then spent two seasons in lower mid-table, a third-place finish in 1978–79 was the start of a successful four years, culminating in the 1981–82 season, in which they won the Hellenic League and reached the final of the FA Vase. Forest Green Rovers are currently selling t-shirts reading 'No Ken Do' on the club's official website after the collapsed £1million transfer of Christian Doidge Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin has become the second largest shareholder at League Two football club Forest Green Rovers. Twice reprieved from relegation from the Conference National due to the demotion of other clubs, the club was transformed following investment from green energy industrialist Dale Vince in 2010. They went on to win the league title in 1937–38. [14], In the summer of 2014 the home strip was changed to lime green and black stripes on the front, with a plain green back, green shorts and black and green striped socks in order to align with sponsor Ecotricity's marketing colours. [6] In November 2000 Gregan was replaced as manager by former England international Nigel Spink; the club reached the FA Trophy final again at the end of the season, losing 1–0 to Canvey Island. [14][15], Vince has also introduced a number of different eco-friendly developments at the club including the installation of solar panels[16] on its New Lawn home ground, the use of a solar-powered robot grass mower,[17] and the creation of the world's first organic football pitch. The new badge was used from the beginning of the 2011–2012 season. [10], Prior to the 2015 UK general election, he was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas. The English Football League gave their consent to the stadium in February 2021. [7] Another season in mid-table was followed by two in which they finished in the bottom five. [3], The club was re-established in 1898 under the Forest Green Rovers name, and absorbed Nailsworth Thursday shortly afterwards. During the club's years in the non-league pyramid, the club maintained local rivalries with Gloucester City,[17] and Bath City. The Etesia robot mower – known as a 'mow bot' – uses GPS technology to guide it round the pitch without the need for human intervention and gathers power from the solar panels at the stadium. Their owner, Dale Vince OBE, is a British green energy industrialist who owns a company called Ecotricity and first became the major shareholder in 2010. In 1911 Forest Green merged with Nailsworth to form Nailsworth & Forest Green United, continuing to play at the Lawn Ground and in the Stroud & District League; the new club won the league, losing only one match all season. [3] They were founder members of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League in 1922,[4] but left the league at the end of the 1922–23 season to return to the Stroud & District League. [6], The 2009–10 season saw Forest Green finish in the relegation zone, but another reprieve from relegation was won when Salisbury City were expelled for breaking financial rules. The 1997–98 season saw them win the Southern League Premier Division, securing a second successive promotion and entry to the Football Conference.[6]. Job done. Although the stadium can hold 5,147 fans, the highest league attendance recorded at the venue so far was 3,781 in a Conference Premier fixture against Bristol Rovers. [6] After finishing eighth under Frank Gregan in 1995–96, they won the division the following season, earning promotion to the Premier Division of the Southern League. They moved to a ground in Nailsworth in 1924, but returned to the Lawn in 1927 after it was upgraded with a boundary wall and entrance gates. A decision by the club at the end of the 2012–13 season saw the areas in which home and away fans were housed at the ground switched with home fans reverting to the EESI Stand at the opposite end of the ground which was converted from seating to a standing terrace. Vince hoped that the club would be able to play games at the stadium within "three or four years".[28]. They separated some years later, and Wyatt subsequently raised the couple's son alone. Vince made his fortune by founding one of England’s green energy companies, Ecotricity, as well as an electric car charging network and other green initiatives. JUMPING FOR JOY . The Sustainability in Sport terrace is at the north end of the ground. [citation needed], In 2013, he was given the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy by the University of Gloucestershire. [25], In a statement, Vince branded the court's decision "mad": "I feel that we all have a right to move on, and not be looking over our shoulders. Competing in various local league competitions for much of the 20th century, they won a multitude of league titles: the Dursley & District League (1902–03), the Stroud & District League (1911–12 and 1920–21), the Stroud Premier League (1934–35, 1935–36 and 1936–37), the North Gloucestershire League (1920–21 and 1921–22), and the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League (1937–38, 1949–50 and 1950–51). In 1989, the club was renamed Stroud Football Club. Join the official forum. #WeAreFGR . [26][28], Vince has made donations to both the Labour Party and the Green Party. [3] They entered a team into the Dursley & District League in 1912–13, but withdrew from the Stroud & District League after only four matches. #WeAreFGR. Join the conversation. In Forest Green's first season in the Conference they finished twelfth, as well as reaching the final of the FA Trophy, becoming the first team to play in the final of both the FA Vase and the FA Trophy. But the League Two club's owner Dale Vince, who also owns the energy firm Ecotricity, wants to concentrate on building the football ground instead. They were Stroud Premier League champions for three successive seasons in 1934–35, 1935–36 and 1936–37,[3] before re-entering the Northern Senior League in 1937. January 1, 2020 ... who owns the green electricity company Ecotricity. Smile for the camera. [6] At Wembley they defeated Rainworth Miners Welfare 3–0 to win the trophy. They went on to lose 2–1 to Tranmere in the play-off semi-finals. The following season saw another first as the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time; after beating Guiseley 6–0 in the first round, they lost 3–0 at home to Torquay United in the second. [13] The 2018–19 season saw them finish fifth in League Two. The usual attendance was between 1,300 and 1,800 for National League fixtures. Smaller rivalries have since developed with Bristol Rovers, Newport County and Swindon Town. In May 2011, the club released a consultation for supporters inviting opinions on the club's decision to change its badge. The flag of St. George appeared on both badges, showing his links to England as well as Catalonia. Association football club in Nailsworth, England, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League 1919–1939, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League 1946–1968, Meat-free menu for Forest Green Rovers football fans, Forest Green Rovers: Five things you may not know about Gloucestershire club, "Forest Green Rovers named world's first UN certified carbon neutral football club", "Disruption for Cheltenham Town fans expected at 'El Glosico' derby match with Forest Green Rovers", "Gloucester City Vs Forest Green Rovers – What Does It Mean For The Fans? Grimsby Town 1-2 Forest Green. Grimsby Town 1-2 Forest Green. [3] After World War I the club rejoined the league and the 1919–20 season saw them finish joint top of the table with Chalford and Stonehouse. Forest Green: Dale Vince reveals Championship goal Forest Green Rovers owner Dale Vince has defended the club's £5.4m debt, insisting it is sustainable. Formed in October 1889, the club became founder members of the Mid Gloucestershire League five years later. [22], The United Nations has recognised Forest Green Rovers as the world’s first carbon-neutral football club and it was described by FIFA as the “greenest team in the world”. Along with Ecotricity, a company that has been turning wind power into electricity since 1996, Vince owns Forest Green Rovers, a League Two football club in the small town of Nailsworth in rural Gloucestershire. [22][23], Vince received an OBE from the Queen for services to the environment in 2004. Immediate Reaction: Forest Green Rovers 0-1 Bolton Wanderers 13 unbeaten for the Whites Match Preview: Forest Green Rovers vs Bolton Wanderers Lee previews Wanderers’ trip to FGR MOTM: Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Walsall - Kieran Lee The former Sheffield Wednesday man is … Forest Green Rovers who play their football at The New Lawn, has, for many years now, been implementing changes to make the experience of going to football more environmentally friendly for both the players and fans alike. The Spanish star, 25, said he was attracted to the Gloucestershire club because it shares his passion for conservation and raising awareness of environmental. … Grimsby Town 1-2 Forest Green. At the end of the season the club were promoted to the Midland Division of the Southern League. Forest Green Rovers, who were founded in the 19th century by a man named Peach, and play in green at the appropriately named New Lawn, take on … [18] However, following Rovers' promotion to the EFL in 2018, these rivalries are no longer competed. [3] However, the club withdrew from the league during the 1896–97 season. [4] A former New Age traveller,[5] he is the owner of the electricity company Ecotricity. On 19 August 2014, the new away strip was announced, which would be a modern version of the traditional home strip of black and white striped shirt, black shorts and red socks. 0 Forest Green Rovers granted outline consent for new stadium . Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. [6] A third consecutive play-off campaign was secured with a third-place finish in 2016–17. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and have played their home games at the New Lawn since 2006, when they moved from their original home at The Lawn Ground.