Forest Green Rovers F.C.

Local and county leagues The club was established in 1889 by E. J. H. Peach, representing the Forest Green area of Nailsworth. The name Rovers was adopted in 1893, and the following year the club were founder member of the Mid-Gloucestershire League. but left the league at the end of the 1922–23 season to return to the Stroud and District League. Forest Green finished as runners-up in 1924–25 and 1925–26, Although the club finished as runners-up in 1952–53, they were relegated to Division Two at the end of the 1954–55 season. However, they were Division Two champions the following season, and were promoted back to Division One. Regional leagues Forest Green's first season in the Hellenic League Premier Division saw them finish fourth. Although they then spent two seasons in lower mid-table, a third-place finish in 1978–79 was the start of a successful four years, culminating in the 1981–82 season, in which they won the Hellenic League and reached the final of the FA Vase. Another season in mid-table was followed by two in which they finished in the bottom five. However, they lost 1–0 to Kingstonian. The following season saw another first as the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time; after beating Guiseley 6–0 in the first round, they lost 3–0 at home to Torquay United in the second. In 2007–08 the club defeated Football League opposition in the FA Cup for the first time, beating Rotherham United 3–0 in a first round replay, before losing 3–2 at Swindon Town. The following season saw them reach the third round of the Cup for the first time, beating Team Bath and then Rochdale to set a third round tie at home to Derby County which they lost 4–3 in front of a record crowd of 4,836. The club was then taken over by Ecotricity founder Dale Vince; Vince set out plans to make the club more eco-friendly, including removing red meat from players' diets, stopping selling meat products in the ground and treating the pitch with organic fertiliser. Forest Green finished fifth in the Conference in 2014–15, qualifying for the promotion play-offs; they went on to lose 3–0 on aggregate to Bristol Rovers in the semi-finals. The following season saw them finish as runners-up in the renamed National League, their highest-ever league position; in the subsequent play-offs they defeated Dover Athletic 2–1 in the semi-finals, before losing 3–1 to Grimsby Town in the final at Wembley. In the 2020–21 season, the club sacked their then manager Mark Cooper after they had failed to secure a win in six matches; losing four consecutively. Jimmy Ball stepped in to lead the team until the end of the season. They finished sixth within the league, leading to another play-off campaign. This campaign saw them lose 5–4 on aggregate to Newport County. League Two title and promotion (2021–22) Following the 2020–21 campaign, the club hired Rob Edwards as their head coach in June of 2021, leaving his role as England U16 Head Coach and U20 Assistant for the FA. He was joined by Richie Kyle as assistant coach. The club began the 2021–22 season with a strong start; winning seven of their opening ten league matches. This placed them top of the league, a position they would hold until round 42 of the competition. At one point, they were 14 points ahead of the team in second position. However following game week 42, Forest Green were caught and overtaken by Exeter City, who had climbed up the table after a club-record 11 successive home league wins between October and April. With just four games remaining, Exeter City were on 80 points, and Forest Green on 79. This resulted in Forest Green falling a point behind Exeter City, meaning that going into the final game, an Exeter City victory against Port Vale would win the league no matter the score in the Forest Green game against Mansfield Town. However, the opportunity to win the league on the final day was still present for Forest Green; provided Exeter City drew or lost, and Forest Green won or drew their match against Mansfield. In the Exeter City game, Port Vale were leading 1–0 following a goal from James Wilson. As things stood going into the second halves, Exeter were winning the league by one point, although a draw or win for Forest Green would win the league (assuming the result in the Exeter game remained the same). As the games progressed, Ebou Adams scored in the 64th minute in the Forest Green game to make it 1–1. Mansfield then restored their lead with a goal from Jordan Bowery in the 78th minute, making it 2–1 to the home side. Just two minutes later, Forest Green equalised again with a goal from Josh March. All the while, it was still 1–0 in the Exeter City game, As both games progressed to their end, neither result changed, crowning Forest Green as the League Two champions for the first and only time in their history, and also the first time they had ever been promoted to League One. Manager Rob Edwards said after the game that it was "surreal" and "incredible" to finish top of the league. In the 2022 PFA League Two Team of the Year, Forest Green had five players included, with Wilson, Cadden, and Stevens named again alongside Ebou Adams and Jamille Matt. Consecutive Relegations (2022–2024) After their success in 2021–22, manager Rob Edwards announced he was leaving the club and joining Watford. At the time, the chairmen Vince was publicly unhappy, saying that negotiations between Edwards and Watford took place "behind our backs." He also said that "It takes a bit of the shine off winning promotion. If there's any karma in football they'll languish in the Championship and we'll meet them there in a few years' time." To replace Edwards, Ian Burchnall was hired as head coach to lead the team into the 2022–23 season. Having won just five of their opening twenty-eight league matches in the 2022–23 season, Burchnall was sacked as head coach and replaced by Duncan Ferguson. Despite this appointment, Rovers were relegated back to League Two after finishing in 24th position. Dingley was soon replaced by David Horseman, who led the team at the start of the 2023–24 season. He was sacked in December 2023, and replaced by Troy Deeney, who at the time was a player at the club. Deeney was also sacked just 29 days following his appointment after publicly criticising his players and not winning a match during his six game tenure. He was replaced by Steve Cotterill. At the end of the season, Rovers finished in the relegation zone again in League Two after finishing 24th, thus suffering the indignity of back-to-back relegations into the National League, ending their seven-year spell in the Football League. Cotterill left the club on 24 June 2025. On 1 July 2025, Robbie Savage was appointed first team manager, joining from Macclesfield. In the 2025–26 season, Forest Green finished in seventh position with 81 points, earning them a play-off quarter-final match away against Boreham Wood. Forest Green lost 1–0 after extra time. ==Green credentials==

In 2018 Forest Green Rovers became the first football club in the world to be certified carbon neutral under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) initiative Climate Neutral Now. The United Nations has recognised Forest Green Rovers as the world's first carbon-neutral football club and it was described by FIFA as the "greenest team in the world". In September 2020, Spain and Arsenal fullback Héctor Bellerín became the second-largest shareholder in the club. On 2 August 2021, Forest Green Rovers announced a new partnership with clean energy and electric vehicle YouTube channel, Fully Charged and named their pitch accordingly to The Fully Charged New Lawn. ==Colours and crest==

The previous club badge was very similar to the FC Barcelona badge. The flag of St. George appeared on both badges, showing his links to England as well as Catalonia. Rovers' home kit for many years was a black and white striped shirt with black shorts. In May 2011, the club released a consultation for supporters inviting opinions on the club's decision to change its badge. The new badge was used from the beginning of the 2011–12 season. On 2 July 2012, it was announced that the club would change its home strip from its traditional black and white stripes to a lime green shirt with black shorts and socks. The decision to move away from the traditional black and white stripes proved controversial with many supporters. The away strip was also changed to an all-white kit with the dates '1899–2012' near the neckline of the kit to indicate the years when the club first played in an all-white kit and the decision to bring it back in 2012. In the summer of 2014 the home strip was changed to lime green and black stripes on the front, with a plain green back, green shorts and black and green striped socks in order to align with sponsor Ecotricity's marketing colours. On 19 August 2014, the new away strip was announced, which would be a modern version of the traditional home strip of black and white striped shirt, black shorts and red socks. In 2021, the team became the first in the world to play in a football kit made from a composite material consisting of recycled plastic and coffee grounds. ==Rivalries==

Gloucestershire rivals Nailsworth Town are seen as the club's local neighbours within the non-league divisions. Cheltenham Town are seen as the club's main rivals. Fixtures between the two sides are humorously named El Glosico, a play-on-words of the famous El Clásico fixture. In the non-League pyramid, the club maintains local rivalries with Gloucester City, and Bath City. Smaller rivalries also developed with Bristol Rovers, Newport County and Swindon Town during Forest Green's Football League years. ==Stadium==

The club initially played at a ground 'at the top of the hill' in Forest Green known as the Lawn Ground. They moved to a ground in Nailsworth in 1924, but returned to the Lawn in 1927 after it was upgraded with a boundary wall and entrance gates. The Sustainability in Sport terrace is at the north end of the ground. This terrace was the location for away fans and had previously housed home supporters which it has reverted to. A decision by the club at the end of the 2012–13 season saw the areas in which home and away fans were housed at the ground switched with home fans reverting to the EESI Stand at the opposite end of the ground which was converted from seating to a standing terrace. Subsequently, away fans have been accommodated in the West side of the ground. The East Stand is the largest-capacity stand at the ground and is a seated stand that contains seven boxes, the 'Green Man' public house, gym, dance studio and conference and leisure facilities. The western side of the ground is an open terrace now the area for away fans with a small covered seating area. Although the stadium can hold 5,147 fans, the highest league attendance recorded at the venue so far was 3,781 in a Conference Premier fixture against Bristol Rovers. However, the highest all-time attendance was 4,836 for an FA Cup third round tie at home to Championship side Derby County. The usual attendance was between 1,000 and 1,800 for National League fixtures. In June 2011, the club began work on making the stadium environmentally friendly following the arrival of new owner and green energy entrepreneur Dale Vince. This included developing an entirely organic pitch. In December 2011, 180 solar panels were installed on the roof of the EESI stand, helping the club generate 10% of the electricity needed to run the stadium. In April 2012, Forest Green introduced the first robot lawn mower to be used by a British football club on to its playing surface. This followed a previous robot mower that had been in service at the club's former ground. The Etesia robot mower – known as a 'mow bot' – uses GPS technology to guide it round the pitch without the need for human intervention and gathers power from the solar panels at the stadium. In December 2012, the club beat 200 other nominees to first prize in the Institute of Groundsmanship awards in the sustainability and environmental category for its organic pitch and the environmental aspects at The New Lawn. Eco Park On 3 November 2016, the club announced the winning design for a proposed 5,000 seat new stadium to be built within the Eco Park complex beside Junction 13 of the M5 in Gloucestershire, 1.5 miles west of the town of Stonehouse (and 8.5 miles northwest of their spiritual home of Nailsworth). The design is for a stadium made almost entirely of wood, including the roof cantilevers. It will be able to be increased in size to 10,000 capacity depending on the club's success. The plans were initially rejected by the planning authorities in June 2019 but revised plans were approved later that year. The English Football League gave their consent to the stadium in February 2021. It is intended that the new stadium will have the lowest carbon footprint of any stadium in the world. Vince hoped that the club would be able to play games at the stadium within "three or four years". == Club mascot: "Neville, The Green Devil" ==

The club has one mascot named "Neville the Green Devil". He is a large, green devil who wears the full FGR kit. He can regularly be seen within the stadium during matches meeting fans and taking photos alongside them. ==Current squad==

Out on loan ==Coaching staff==

• Manager: Robbie Savage • Assistant Manager: John McMahon • First team coach: Dan Connor • Goalkeeping coach: Wayne Brown • Head of academy: Yan Klukowski ==Managerial history==

is a former manager. == Popular culture ==

The 2023 Jilly Cooper novel Tackle! is centred on the fictional side Searston Rovers, which is based on Forest Green Rovers. ==Records==

• Best league position: 24th in League One, 2022–23 • Record transfer fee received: £350,000 from Hibernian for Christian Doidge International capped players Bold denotes player still actively playing international football In November 2022, former Forest Green Rovers players, Kieffer Moore and Robert Sánchez were named in the Wales and Spain squads respectively for the 2022 World Cup. They are the first and only former Rovers players to play in a World Cup. ==Honours==

Forest Green Rovers's honours include the following: League • League Two (level 4) • Champions: 2021–22 • National League (level 5) • Play-off winners: 2017 • Southern League (level 6) • Champions: 1997–98 • Southern League Southern (level 7) • Champions: 1996–97 • Hellenic League • Champions: 1981–82 Cup • FA Trophy • Runners-up: 1998–99, 2000–01 • Conference League Cup • Runners-up: 2008–09 • FA Vase • Winners: 1981–82 Minor • Gloucestershire Senior Cup • Winners: 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 2015–16 • Gloucestershire Northern Senior League • Champions: 1937–38, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1976–77 • Division Two champions: 1955–56, 1969–70, 1926–27, 1945–46, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1977–78 • Stroud and District League • Champions: 1911–12, 1920–21, 1921–22, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1945–46, 1953–54, • North Gloucestershire League • Champions: 1920–21, 1921–22 • Division Two champions: 1921–22 1902–03, 1931–32, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37 • Severn League • Champions: 1931–32, 1938–39 • Stroud Charity Cup • Winners: 1922–23, 1926–27, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1945–46, 1952–53, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74 • Berkeley Hospital Cup • Winners: 1969–70, 1970–71, 1974–75 • David Russell Memorial Trophy • Winners: 1987–88 ==References==