Forest Green Rovers must be one of, if not the, most progressive and forward thinking football clubs in the world.

Already famed for their all vegan food menu, their organic pitch and use of battery powered tools where they can, including a robotic pitch mower, the news that they have commissioned a new stadium, made almost entirely out of wood should come as no surprise.

Their commitment to their environmentally responsible values must be admired.

Forest Green has chosen the design for the new stadium following a seven-month international competition. The club announced the competition in March this year, and quickly received over 50 entries from around the world, including Sweden, Germany, France, Britain and the United States.


Zaha Hadid's design

In May, the club shortlisted nine entries, and gave them all two months to work up their concepts, which were reviewed over two days in August, leading to the selection of two finalists. The final two were given another two months to take their concepts further, including a scale model.

Forest Green finally settled on the design which clearly most reflects their ethos which came from the world-renowned practice of Zaha Hadid. These architects have built stadia around the world including one for the Olympic Park in London and one of the five stadiums for the next World Cup in Qatar.

Dale Vince, Ecotricity founder and Forest Green Rovers chairman said, “The really standout thing about this stadium is that it’s going to be almost entirely made of wood - the first time that will have been done anywhere in the world.

“The importance of using wood is not only that it’s a naturally occurring material, it has very low carbon content - about as low as it gets for a building material.

“And when you bear in mind that around three quarters of the lifetime carbon impact of any stadium comes from its building materials, you can see why that’s so important - and it’s why our new stadium will have the lowest carbon content of any stadium in the world."

And it sounds as if the plans haven't forgotten about that most vital element of any stadium - the pitch. So often overlooked in stadium designs of the past where shading of the pitch hasn't been considered for grass growth, Forest Green seemingly have an ingenious solution for this. A transparent membrane will cover the stadium’s roof to shade the players and spectators but will crucially offer an opportunity for turf growth.

This is great news and is of course in-keeping with Forest Green's philosophy. With all the news lately of football hubs and their artificial pitches, it's heartening to hear of such a modern and progressive development, which is utilising a natural turf element.

The new football stadium will serve as the centerpiece of the £100 million Eco Park development in Stroud, UK - half of which will comprise of state-of-the-art sporting facilities, including the new stadium, grass and all-weather training pitches, publicly accessible multi-disciplinary facilities, and a sports science hub. The other half will comprise a green technology business park with sustainably built commercial offices and light industrial units, giving Eco Park the potential to create up to 4,000 jobs.

So a genuinely exciting development which should hopefully act as a trailblazing inspiration to new developments worldwide.