Non-league club's £100m stadium development

National League side Forest Green Rovers have unveiled plans for a £100m sports facility, which will include a new stadium for the club.

The new stadium is expected to accommodate 5,000 supporters with capability to double in size.

Forest Green have played at The New Lawn since 2006 with chairman Dale Vince hopeful the new development would be completed in around five years.

"By the time we get to build, we will be in the Football League," said Vince.

The development, dubbed 'Eco Park', will be a 100-acre sports and green technology centre at Junction 13 on the M5.

Located on either side of the A419, half of Eco Park will be dedicated to creating state-of-the-art sporting facilities, including an all-seater stadium, training fields, 4G pitches, multi-disciplinary sporting facilities, as well as a sports science hub.

The other half of Eco Park will compromise a green technology business park, capable of serving up to 4,000 jobs.

Forest Green were promoted to the Conference - now called the National League - in 1998 and Vince says they are outgrowing their existing home.

"We've seen our gates double and it chokes the hill and it upsets our neighbours," he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"We want to get bigger. We've got intentions to get into the Football League so the problem will only get worse.

"We've been looking for a couple of years, working with Stroud Council. This place would be ideal."

Vince added he hopes The New Lawn "could become affordable low carbon homes" and after an initial consultation period the green-energy tycoon hopes to submit a planning application in September.

Since taking over the club in 2010, Vince introduced:

- An organic pitch - the first in the world - which is spread with cow manure
- 180 solar panels which generated 10% of the electricity at the New Lawn
- A red meat ban for players and all produce sold on matchdays

Ambitious plans but it's been tried and failed before. Best of luck to them if they can get it going.

£100 million

Madness,they will never get the support to warrant it

£100m and they can only hold 5,000 fans. i'd be gutted if they got a Fa.Cup draw against someone like arsenal hahaha

The stadium isnt costing £100m its the industrial park and things that is costing money, also owner is in the buisness he is proposing to build! aand why couldn't they go further? lots clubs go from lower leagues get into football league over time if properly managed?

The stadium isnt costing £100m its the industrial park and things that is costing money, also owner is in the buisness he is proposing to build! aand why couldn't they go further? lots clubs go from lower leagues get into football league over time if properly managed?

Agree.
Have these posters actually read the proposals?

Great for their club and area more jobs and a nice new ground,fair play to their owner looking to put something into the surrounding area to

The stadium isnt costing £100m its the industrial park and things that is costing money, also owner is in the buisness he is proposing to build! aand why couldn't they go further? lots clubs go from lower leagues get into football league over time if properly managed?

Agree.
Have these posters actually read the proposals?

i have read it, im just saying they are spending a £100m and all they will have for a capacity is 5000. i understand the money is going else where, but if they are saying they expect to be football league when it is all complete then surely they want something bigger, otherwise they will be forced to find a few million more again to increase it

The stadium isnt costing £100m its the industrial park and things that is costing money, also owner is in the buisness he is proposing to build! aand why couldn't they go further? lots clubs go from lower leagues get into football league over time if properly managed?

Agree.
Have these posters actually read the proposals?

i have read it, im just saying they are spending a £100m and all they will have for a capacity is 5000. i understand the money is going else where, but if they are saying they expect to be football league when it is all complete then surely they want something bigger, otherwise they will be forced to find a few million more again to increase it

it does say it as capabilities to expand which if its designed like ours it wont cost the earth compared to a stadium not able to do this

An Eco park you will need a car to access very Eco

Their stadium holds more than that now?

100million, probably should have spent a bit more of that money on the stadium and its capacity, which has to be the most important thing if you have big ambitions to climb up the leagues.

Their stadium holds more than that now?

Is that a question?