Forest Green Rovers FC

This one involves a Thai restaurant in Harwich and a caravan parked just outside Great Yarmouth…

There is a football club from one of the most picturesque towns in England. Set in the rolling hillsides of the Cotswolds, it has Roman roots, medieval churches and the feel of an old mill town. It’s beautiful. And sometimes people still mock it. But they really shouldn’t. This club is, of course, Forest Green Rovers. And they’re the next #GetTheBadgeIn.

So first — Harwich, Essex. 9 July. The Half Moon Inn (now a Thai restaurant called Thai up on the Quay). Edward Peach is born. His father had served as an engineer on HMS Simoon, an iron-screw troop ship used during the Crimean War. Peach grows up, enters the Church and becomes a Congregational minister. He eventually settles in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. There, in 1889, he sets up a football team for local young men. He calls it Forest Green, after the area of Nailsworth where it is based.

Early years are not glorious. In 1906–07 they finish on zero points (they did win a game, but lost two points for fielding an ineligible player). Progress comes slowly. There are local leagues, gradual improvements, and eventually real success: the FA Vase in 1981 and steady Conference football through the 1980s and 90s.

Then, in 2010, things change. Dale Vince buys the club. Vince, originally from Great Yarmouth, had built a renewable energy company called Ecotricity. His arrival does not just mean new investment — it means a new direction.

In 2011 the club updates its badge. The older design had taken inspiration from Barcelona, with tweaks in green, black and white. The new badge features a lion and a unicorn, along with the founding date of 1889. The colours settle firmly into green and black. But the biggest change is not cosmetic.

Forest Green Rovers set out to become the greenest football club in the world — and they have the recognition to back it up. FIFA has described them as “the world’s greenest football club”, and they are the only club to hold Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) accreditation.

Their home, The New Lawn, generates much of its own energy. Solar panels line the stadium roof. A solar tracker stands at the entrance. The club is powered by 100% green electricity. Electric vehicle charging points are installed for players and visitors, and a park-and-ride system helps cut congestion and emissions on matchdays.

Their carbon footprint per spectator has fallen by 42% since the 2011/12 season. Overall emissions have decreased since 2017. Waste production has been reduced. Water is recycled. Even the cooking oil from the kitchen is turned into biofuel.

The pitch itself is a statement. It is the world’s first fully organic football pitch. No chemical pesticides. No artificial fertilisers. Rainwater is collected and reused. A solar-powered robotic mower — guided by GPS — trims the grass. The cuttings are given to local farmers to improve their soil. The surrounding land supports wildlife, including badgers and owls from nearby farmland.

And then there is the food. Forest Green Rovers became the first fully vegan professional football club. Players and fans are served plant-based meals on matchdays. It was a bold move, but one that has reduced environmental impact and drawn global attention. Since 2010, average attendance has quadrupled. Media coverage has reached into the billions worldwide.

The club also works closely with schools and the local community. Through its Ambassador Scheme and its Fit2Last programme, students learn about sport, health and sustainability. Players visit schools. Lessons are delivered on how small changes can have lasting impact. The club’s reach has spread far beyond Nailsworth.

There are even plans for a new 5,000-seat wooden stadium as part of a larger eco-park — modern, sustainable and designed to push environmental thinking in football even further.

Football clubs were once born out of mills, mines and railways. Forest Green Rovers were born in a mill town too. But today they reflect something more modern — an industry shaped by renewable energy, innovation and long-term thinking.

From a minister in Nailsworth to solar panels on a stadium roof. From a caravan near Great Yarmouth to global recognition. Not bad for a club many once overlooked.

#UpTheRovers 🌿