Forest Green Rovers

Forest Green Rovers is a football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, in the South West of England, which plays in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.

History of Forest Green Rovers

The club's history began in October 1889, when it was originally named Nailsworth & Forest Green. For the first 32 years, the team competed in the Stroud & District League.

In 1922, the club was one of the founders of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League. Forest Green Rovers won the league three times – in 1935, 1950 and 1951.

In 1968, the team founded a new league, Gloucestershire County (now the 11th most important British league). In the 1981/82 season, Forest Green won the Helenic League, advancing to the Southern Football League regional division (7th level). In the same season, the club won the Football Association Challenge Vases, defeating Rainworth Miner Welfare 3–0 in the final at Wembley.

In the 1989/90–1991/92 seasons, the team was known as Stroud F.C. In the 1995/96 and 1996/97 seasons, Forest Green won the Southern and Premier Divisions of the Southern Football League, earning the right to participate in the National Conference (5th tier), where it played until 2017.

Forest Green is the world's first ‘vegan’ football club certified as carbon neutral. It is recognised as the most environmentally friendly football club on the planet.

Forest Green Rovers never fail to finish the season at the top of the table. The club promotes the principles of sustainable development, striving to inspire not only players and fans, but also other clubs, businesses and organisations with its example, and advocates the implementation of environmental initiatives.

Club achievements

The club's achievements include:

1. Hellenic Football League championship in the 1981-1982 season.
2. Southern League Southern Division championship in the 1996-1997 season.
3. Championship in the Southern League in the 1997-1998 season.
4. Victory in the 2017 National League play-offs — the team advanced to the English Football League.
5. Promotion to the First Division in 2022 — Forest Green reached the First Division for the first time in its history after winning the EFL Second Division.

In 2023, the club won the BBC Green Sports Awards' Elite Organisation of the Year award for its leadership in sustainable development in sport.

Club management

The club's owner and chairman of the board of directors is Dale Vince. In May 2024, he was appointed chief executive officer.

Vice-chairman Asif Rehmanwala is one of the club's directors. Other board members include Phil Butterworth (Vice-Chairman), Rolf Stein (Company Secretary), Paula Brown (Head of Commercial), Claire Thorley (Head of Football Operations) and Robert Del Naja (Creative Director).

The head coach and manager of the team is Robbie Savage. Yan Klukowski is the head of the club's academy.

Team

The Forest Green fc squad can be described as fluid, as some players have recently joined the team, others are on the bench, and still others are on loan. Let's list the key players.

Christian Doidge is rightly considered the club's best player and holds the record for goals scored. In his first spell at the club, he scored around 66 goals in 122 appearances, making him a legend in the eyes of the fans. In the 2018/19 season, he was named the club's top scorer in the league.

Another former FGR player, Steve Guinan, played for a number of British clubs at various levels. He was also invited to join England C (the country's semi-professional team), where he scored several goals.

Midfielder Sam Wedgbury was part of the Forest Green Rovers team when the club achieved significant successes, such as promotion to the Football League.

Forest Green Rovers Stadium

Forest Green Rovers' home stadium is The New Lawn, located in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. It has a capacity of 5,147 spectators. The stadium's surface is natural grass with enhanced environmental credentials.

The New Lawn is a 100% vegan stadium with solar panels, electric vehicles for staff and guests, and is certified as environmentally friendly.

The arena was opened in 2006, with the team previously playing at Lawn Ground. The New Lawn is the first stadium on the planet to receive ‘carbon neutral stadium’ status from FIFA/UEFA.

Season statistics

The statistics for the 2025-2026 Green Forest season clearly show that the team as a whole is performing quite consistently.

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