Peter Jones delves into life at The New Lawn and finds that strong morals are the foundation from which Forest Green's success has been built upon.
Forest Green Rovers are a club very much on the up.
They have gained much media attention and interest from their rise to fame in recent years. They are a small-town team with big dreams and strong morals. Their story so far has been very interesting and is certainly worth delving a little further into.
Since defeating Tranmere Rovers in the 2017 National League Promotion Final, they have attracted a lot of intrigue from many football fans who had perhaps not known of their existence previously.
They made their name as the "greenest" Football Club in the world, but they have a lot more in their one hundred and twenty nine year existence to talk about.
Rovers made history on 5th August 2017, as they broke an EFL record. They put Nailsworth on the map, as the little Gloucestershire town became the smallest to ever host a Football League club.
Nailsworth is home to around 7,500 inhabitants and The New Lawn has a capacity of just over 5,000 - thus meaning that there is a space in the ground for two thirds of the whole town should they wish to attend. The New Lawn's capacity was best tested in January 2009 as 4,800 were present for Forest Green's FA Cup tie against Derby County.
Much has been made of their unique owner, Dale Vince, whose ecological beliefs have made Forest Green the subject of much interest. His plans to make Forest Green as green as possible was perhaps best exemplified in 2015, when plans for a £100 million sports facility were announced.
The new 5,000-all-seater stadiurn (the current stadium only holds 2,000 seats) has been coined 'Eco Park'. It is set to house not only the stadium itself, but also training fields, 4G pitches, multi- disciplinary sporting facilities and a sports science hub. As well as this, there are also plans to create up to 4,000 jobs in the adjoining business park.
These plans merely continue the plethora of changes that Vince has already successfully made to the club. The New Lawn has the world's first organic pitch which is spread with cow manure and Scottish seaweed, gaining the club an award for growing a pitch without the use of any chemicals.
Ten percent of the stadium's electricity is provided by one hundred and eighty solar panels - even the robot mower for the grass is solar powered!
A red meat ban has been introduced for players and food outlets on matchdays - there are only vegetarian options now available, alongside free-range poultry and fish from sustainable stocks.
Vince's strong vegan beliefs has also influenced the club's recruitment process at The New Lawn and this year Rovers became the first Football Club in the world to be declared carbon neutral by the UNFCCC.
Should the plans for Eco Park come to fruition, the proposal is that The New Lawn will be turned into affordable low carbon homes.
Vince has also been a staunch believer in the 'Moneyball' philosophy. A strategy famed in the 2011 Brad Pitt movie which focused on Oakland Athletics baseball recruitment process.
Rather than purchasing players based on scout reports and form, using careful statistics and formulas the most effective players are selected. One member of their Data Analysis Team was even poached by Everton - highlighting the prestige of the League Two outfit's staff.
Vince has completely transformed the image of Forest Green Rovers since he became majority shareholder at the club in 2010. His immediate changes made him an interesting character within football, many believing that Forest Green were just a footballing gimmick.
However, since 2010 he has instilled steady growth within the club - successfully reaching the National League in five seasons and League Two just two years afterwards. Vince has proven that his strategy has not been a facade to gain media attention, Forest Green are now a competitive EFL side with lofty ambitions.
When the name Forest Green Rovers pops up in football, any neutral fan's first thought is perhaps derisory toward the club. Mocking their lack of steak pies or their vegan Chairman has been part and parcel of their inspirational journey - however they have produced the footballing style to match their eco-friendly substance.
From non-league obscurity to a Football League team looking towards a potentially bright future in a new stadium. The recent history of Forest Green Rovers has certainly been exciting and their short term future could be just as intriguing for football fans of any allegiance.
