Forest Green Rovers.

[kirk]

Congrats to FGR. shows you how money can help a team succeed if spent wisely.And to think that a few years back we beat them 11-0 ( I think ) in the F.A. Trophy,they were a few divisions below us at the time.

[GlenSTFC]

10-0 v Stroud FA Trophy. You can't compare that side to their team of today!

[BFR]

I guess that depends on your interpretation of spending wisely. 

[Curtis]

From Forest Green Rovers accounts:-

 

2014/5 losses of £2.9 million

2015/6 losses of £2.4 million

 

And with average attendances this season of 1,815, if they are to survive in League Two the losses will probably be even greater next season.

 

It's an expensive game buying promotions, over four seasons Ebbsfleet have had £8 million of losses before getting promotion from the Conference South.

[Irishadrian]

The only team ever to record zero points for a league program despite having won one game The 2 points(in those days) were deducted for an ineligible player!

[staines_rebel_Jr]

A large part of their financial losses is down to building an incredible stadium. The most environmentally friendly stadium in the world and inspiration to many of the top teams in the world who are looking to build new grounds.

Edited May 15, 2017 by staines_rebel_Jr

[BFR]

An environmentally friendly stadium, which they plan to replace with another stadium, despite only being 10 years old.

Edited May 15, 2017 by BFR

[GlenSTFC]

Plus move miles away from their current base to be next to the motorway and Gloucester! Can see another name change on the way...

[staines_rebel_Jr]

An environmentally friendly stadium, which they plan to replace with another stadium, despite only being 10 years old.

 

It has been one of the most important stadiums ever built. Having been inspiration to many other much bigger clubs such as a small German team you may have heard of called Bayern Munich who made huge changes to their own stadium because of FGR. It is also the starting point for any team looking to build a new stadium who now MUST become more environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

 

 

The goal of the current owner was not to become a hugely successful football club but to get across a message to other clubs that being eco-friendly in football is possible. He has achieved that mission and then some.

[David Carpenter]

I congratulate FGR on their promotion to League 2 and Dale Vince on pursuing his green ideals (using FGR as a vehicle). However we should not forget Max Griggs and Rushden and Diamonds and of course Blackburn Rovers and Jack Walker. Fleetwood Town have been successful ( I remember going to their Highbury ground about 30 years ago when I working in Rossall and they were way down the pyramid with a fairly small ground). Then Burton Albion and of course the up and coming AC Fylde. Fleetwood and Fylde are of course local to the once mighty Blackpool so times change. Whether the Forest Green project ultimately succeeds remains to be seen. Best wishes to Dale Vince on this but I guess there will be some loss of identity for the average FGR supporter. Going back to the Trophy game I recall that when my brother-in-law urned up late with his son and a friend the game had been inning about 15/20 minutes and was fairly even wit no score and then the floodgates opened!

[kirk]

10-0 v Stroud FA Trophy. You can't compare that side to their team of today!

Can't compare Slough now and then apparently.

[GlenSTFC]

Well yeah of course... doubt there's many clubs you can compare from 20 odd years ago!

[Curtis]

A large part of their financial losses is down to building an incredible stadium.

Not actually true..... the losses of £5.4 million over those two seasons did not include the £2.5 million plus that they have spent on land, buildings and fixtures.

[GlenSTFC]

They've been paying L1/L2 wages for a few seasons now so no one should be surprised at their promotion. Wouldn't bet against them competing for the PO's this season.

[staines_rebel_Jr]

Not actually true..... the losses of £5.4 million over those two seasons did not include the £2.5 million plus that they have spent on land, buildings and fixtures.

You will struggle to find many clubs in the world who make profit in the few years after building a new ground.

[David Carpenter]

This debate started as to whether FGR have got promoted on the back of wise and well managed investment. From Dale Vince' point of view that is clearly the case. FGR have gained promotion to L1 and the stated aim is to emulate Burton Albion and reach the Championship. In order to achieve this Mr Vince clearly sees the need to expand the FGR hinterland/income streams and so is constructing a multi-use sports complex adjacent to the motorway. This means the eventual abandonment of The New Lawn and will inevitably involve a considerable amount of non-green activity. As in my earlier post I am sure despite the current exhilaration on achieving promotion there will eventually be some feeling of disenfranchisement amongst some of the current supporters. Best of luck to Mr Vince: I sincerely hope there is no repeat of the Rushden and Diamonds experience.

[Windsor Rebel]

It will all end in tears. A club with a rich chairman and no support or history. We have seen it all before, when the chairman bales out they will end up where they

should be: local football.

[David Carpenter]

Just to clarify a few facts: When we played Stroud FC (as they had renamed themselves that season) in 1989/1990 they were members of the Southern League (Midland ) Division and we were in the Ryman Premier and of course to become Champions that season. So not a few leagues difference as stated at the start of this thread but just one step. The match was played at The Lawn. The New Lawn was built 2006/2007. Dale Vince became involved in 2010 and after becoming majority shareholder started to green things up. He is now looking to build a new stadium at the proposed Eco -park which will be situated 8/9 mies from the New Lawn. So the existing supporters will be faced with a journey similar to when we were tenanted at Beaconsfield. All this is subject to Planning Consent.

[David Carpenter]

A further thought and going a long way back to a match I attended as I am sure did a number of the "Old Codgery". This was early season 1964/65 in a FA Amateur Cup Tie. Slough Town 14 Hungerford Town 1. Imagine that scoreline nowadays! So as per earlier discussions in this thread it is not easy to compare different eras. In those days I worked at The Cement and Concrete Association, Wexham Springs as did a certain Mr. P. Lowen. When I started in September 1962 Peter was playing for Maidenhead Utd and later moved onto Wycombe Wanderers. We used to have lunch time kick-abouts on a pitch we had prepared using purloined scaffold tubes and I was forever nagging Peter to join The Rebels. He did so at the beginning of season 1964/65 but I think this was for more compelling reasons than my jibbing. In this remarkable game "The Mars Bar Kid" Bernie Gogan scored 4 goals and Peter topped this with 6. He went on to score 56 goals for the season. Peter was a fine player although his languid style led some to accuse him of being lazy (!) It is difficult to compare eras but it is doubtful whether good as he was that he would score so many goals nowadays. Apologies to those of a younger age who get a bit hacked with misty eyed reminiscences but I think this brings the discussions regarding comparing eras into context.

[Reading Rebel]

A further thought and going a long way back to a match I attended as I am sure did a number of the "Old Codgery". This was early season 1964/65 in a FA Amateur Cup Tie. Slough Town 14 Hungerford Town 1. Imagine that scoreline nowadays! So as per earlier discussions in this thread it is not easy to compare different eras. In those days I worked at The Cement and Concrete Association, Wexham Springs as did a certain Mr. P. Lowen. When I started in September 1962 Peter was playing for Maidenhead Utd and later moved onto Wycombe Wanderers. We used to have lunch time kick-abouts on a pitch we had prepared using purloined scaffold tubes and I was forever nagging Peter to join The Rebels. He did so at the beginning of season 1964/65 but I think this was for more compelling reasons than my jibbing. In this remarkable game "The Mars Bar Kid" Bernie Gogan scored 4 goals and Peter topped this with 6. He went on to score 56 goals for the season. Peter was a fine player although his languid style led some to accuse him of being lazy (!) It is difficult to compare eras but it is doubtful whether good as he was that he would score so many goals nowadays. Apologies to those of a younger age who get a bit hacked with misty eyed reminiscences but I think this brings the discussions regarding comparing eras into context.

 

 

A remarkable player was Peter Lowen. One minute he looked totally dis-interested and the next he would score a quite remarkable goal out of nothing.

 

With better organised defences players wouldn't score as many goals but they would still get their fair share.