- Title: World's 'greenest' soccer club wins approval for eco-friendly wooden stadium
- Date: 30th December 2019
- Summary: STROUD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - DECEMBER 2016) (REUTERS) CHAIRMAN OF FOREST GREEN ROVERS AND ECOTRICITY FOUNDER DALE VINCE LOOKING AT MODEL OF PROPOSED STADIUM VARIOUS OF MODEL OF PROPOSED STADIUM VINCE LOOKING AT MODEL OF STADIUM INSIDE OF MODEL OF STADIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIRMAN OF FOREST GREEN ROVERS AND FOUNDER OF ECOTRICITY, DALE VINCE, SAYING: "We're looking to the future for Ecotricity as well as for Forest Green, and we've found the perfect location we think to build something that's going to be really 'out there' in terms of its environment design and infrastructure and that kind of stuff. You know, it'll be eco by name and by nature as you might imagine." VARIOUS OF INSIDE OF MODEL STADIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIRMAN OF FOREST GREEN ROVERS AND FOUNDER OF ECOTRICITY, DALE VINCE, SAYING: "Well, I think the really big deal is the fact that it's all made out of wood; minimum use of concrete. If you look at the carbon impact of sports stadia through their working life, 75 percent of that impact comes from the materials that they're made with, so it's not the running cost. Wood is of course a very sustainable material, low in carbon. So that's our starting point really -- we'll make it from the least impactful material that we can. It's also designed with, for example, a translucent roof to reduce shadows on the pitch which will improve the game itself but also aid the grass growth. It's something that the wind can pass through which again aids the grass growth without the need for big fans which you might find at Premiership clubs, for example, to cool the pitch in the summer. There's a lot of thought gone into all of these aspects of the stadium, including the spectator experience and stuff like that; spotlights will be LEDs embedded into the edge of the roofs, there'll be no towers. An awful lot of thought has gone into it. So it's eco but it's going to be aesthetic and also a great experience to be in, playing and watching." VARIOUS OF MODEL OF STADIUM VINCE LOOKING AT MODEL OF STADIUM MODEL OF STADIUM GLOUCESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - JULY 31, 2015) (REUTERS) GOAL NET WITH ECOTRICITY SIGN SEEN IN BACKGROUND PITCH WITH CORNER FLAG IN FOREGROUND FANS CLAPPING IN STANDS
- Embargoed: 13th January 2020 12:25
- Keywords: Dale Vince Forest Green Rovers Zaha Hadid Architects vegan soccer club wooden stadium
- Location: GLOUCESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND, UK
- City: GLOUCESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Environment,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA004BC63ZGF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Forest Green Rovers, arguably the most talked about English lower-league soccer club due to their green ethos, received an early Christmas present after their plans for a 5,000-seat wooden stadium were finally approved.
The outline bid for the stadium designed by Zaha Hadid Architects was accepted by the Stroud District Council in Gloucestershire on Thursday December 19.
Among the planned innovations, Forest Green Rovers' new stadium will feature a translucent roof to reduce shadows on the pitch; improving the game itself but also aiding the grass growth. The shape and position of the tunnels around pitch are designed to allow the wind to pass through, which again aids the grass growth and cools the pitch during summer without the need for the big fans which you might find at Premiership clubs.
Earlier in June, the club's initial bid for the stadium was rejected after the council cited concerns over noise, traffic and the impact on the local community.
The stadium plans are part of a 100 million pounds ($129.97 million) Eco Park project in Gloucestershire led by Forest Green chairman Dale Vince.
Vince, founder of British green energy suppliers Ecotricity, got involved with the club in 2010 when it was facing a less-than-rosy future, with financial problems and an outdated ground. In the last few years, Vince has instigated what they call the 'Green Revolution' at the club with an organic pitch, solar power, robotic lawnmower, and an all-vegan menu among their green initiatives.
He told Reuters in 2017, "the really big deal is the fact that it's all made out of wood; minimum use of concrete. If you look at the carbon impact of sports stadia through their working life, 75 percent of that impact comes from the materials that they're made with, so it's not the running cost. Wood is of course a very sustainable material, low in carbon."
Forest Green Rovers, founded in 1889, are currently based at The New Lawn in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, south-west England. The proposed new site is just over 5 miles (8 km) away.
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