Last weekend a remarkable event happened at Wembley Stadium when Forest Green Rovers gained promotion to the Football League for the first time in their 128 year history. What makes this achievement all the more amazing is the fact that the club are the first all-vegan outfit to play in the professional ranks.
 

The story really begins back in 2015 when Dale Vince walked into the club and quickly removed animal products from the club’s New Lawn Stadium. In addition to this he installed solar panels, insisted on using chemical free lawn products for the pitch and bought a solar powered lawn mower. 


 

Vince is described as a British “green energy” industrialist and is a former new age traveller or “Hippie” to use a more common phrase. He is also the owner of Ecotricity, an energy based company who specialise in selling green energy to consumers.

Since his arrival into football two years ago, Vince has demanded that the playing staff dine on meat alternatives from Quorn to plant-based pizzas and veggie burgers.



Supporters who visit The New Lawn have had to come to terms with a new kind of match-day catering; gone are the meat pies and hot dogs and in their place has come an entirely vegan menu. This has led to the stadium being awarded the Sports and Leisure Catering Magazine menu of the year for 2016.
 

Team boss Mark Cooper has also been impressed by Vince’s methods and after last weekend’s historic play-off final victory he told reporters that; “It is an unbelievable achievement to put a village team in the Football League. As we grow, we will gradually attract more supporters and become even more sustainable”.
 

And the work doesn't stop there either, the club have now announced plans to make their stadium an all wooden, more eco-friendly venue which will meet all the requirements of the Lord Justice Taylor report following the Bradford City fire of 1985.
 

With a population of just 5,794, Nailsworth, which is the name of the town that the club hails from, is set to be visited by the likes of Coventry City and Newport County next season. Cooper however, remains optimistic, stating that; “We're not going to go in there to make the numbers up. Knowing what the chairman's like, he will want to be a threat in that league”.


 

The final word goes to Cooper once again who, when asked about his chairman replied that; “He is certainly different, his ethos and what he believes in. There's no right way or wrong way, but we've had success doing it, so he's been vindicated in what he's done”.



Steve Mitchell