There will be a new Forest Green Rovers stadium before long, and it's a really exciting proposal. The League Two club are in the midst of the application process for a brand new ground.
Currently bottom of the Football League after a poor start to the season, Forest Green Rovers already been granted outline planning permission and are now awaiting Stroud District Council to approve the layout, scale and external appearance of the stadium.
The new stadium is unlike any other stadium ever built with the “world's greenest football club” setting out on a mission to take sustainability in football to an entirely new level. The stadium has provisionally been named “Eco-Park” and will have a capacity of 5,000 people.
New Forest Green Rovers stadium design
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The stadium has been designed Zaha Hadid, a world-famous architect from Iraq. Based on the designs, Hadid has managed to replicate the modern feel and aesthetic of a new football stadium while mixing it with the eco-first ethics that Forest Green Rovers live by.
One of the most fascinating parts of the design is that the stadium will be made almost entirely from wood, ensuring that Eco-Park has the lowest carbon footprint of any football stadium in the world. Forest Green have also guaranteed that every spectator inside Eco-Park will have a perfect view of the action on the pitch, something that isn't always guaranteed in the lower leagues of English football.
What facilities will there be at the new Forest Green stadium?
Forest Green hope to build the new stadium in Eastington, near Junction 15 of the M5 on the A419 in Gloucestershire – an area which will be easier to access than their current stadium, The New Lawn. There will be plenty of walking, cycling and public transport access while a car park with charging facilities will be installed to encourage electric vehicles.
For those who travel by bus to the match, Forest Green have committed to subsidising matchday buses from a variety of nearby locations including Stroud and Dursley train station.
Renewable energy on site at new FGR stadium
What's more, Eco-Park will generate over 80% of its energy on-site, using only renewable energy from the wind and sun courtesy of Ecotricity – a green energy company. The club will also plant 2km worth of hedgerows and thousands of new trees around Eco-Park
In terms of football facilities, Eco-ark will also boast a brand new training complex where all Forest Green players from youth and academy to women and men will train. This will mean that everyone within the club will be training in the same complex, to promote unity and togetherness. It will be the first time in the club's professional history that all teams will train in the district.
What will happen to The New Lawn?
The New Lawn has been the home of Forest Green Rovers since 2006 but with the club looking to move to Eco-Park, questions have been asked about what will happen to the current ground.
The club have announced they have “made a commitment to having high quality, low-carbon housing built” on the site of The New Lawn. With all Forest Green teams set to move to Eco-Park there is little point in the site remaining a football ground but a focus will be on creating sustainable and green spaces in its place.
Forest Green have assured local residents that the design of the new buildings will be “in keeping with the community's existing architectural character” while they are keen for the majority of the new homes to fall under the affordable housing umbrella.
We'll keep you across the latest news about Eco-Park and The New Lawn on Football Ground Guide.