With the season about three quarters done there are still plenty of games to be played, we know we’re a tough team to beat and we just need to keep the pressure on the teams at the top. There has also been good progress on Eco Park so this is a good time to provide an update to our Supporters & Partners.

Eco Park:

Just before Christmas Stroud District Council (SDC) approved the detailed planning for EcoPark stadium by unanimous decision. A significant step towards the club’s ambitions to build an iconic and sustainable venue for the future. There’s still a lot of work to be done, both in terms of planning conditions, project management, finance and numerous other key details but we’re moving in the right direction and it’s great to finally make some progress.

At the same meeting we also had our application to change the current stadium into housing approved; again by a unanimous decision. This was an outline application to build up to 95 new homes in Forest Green, a decision in principle that means all the key details are still to be worked on. This will of course be timed with the EcoPark Stadium and will only start after we have moved but we can now work to develop a well-designed sustainable housing scheme and one that the club & supporters can be proud of.

Candriam Training Centre at J13:

Following on with more planning updates, we also received planning permission for a marquee at the Candriam Training Centre. This is to help the 1st team take full advantage of our state-of-the-art training pitches. They have undoubtably helped our performances on the pitch but the lack of any accompanying facilities is hampering our team and severely limits our scope for community use.

The original application was refused by SDC back in May, which we felt was a poor decision and didn’t make any sense. So we appealed this; it goes to an independent inspector who produced a detailed report with their decision to grant planning permission and was very clear. From my reading of their report, it was not even close; given that this was only a temporary application it is extremely frustrating to have to go to appeal to get a decision that should have been straight forward.

The entire site is allocated in the draft local plan (this is the district council’s plan for big developments over the next few years) however they would not take this into consideration in their original refusal. Thankfully, the inspector saw things differently and this played an important part in their review and decision.

Season Tickets:

The team have been working hard behind the scenes on plans for 25/26 season tickets, adapting to any changes in regulations and taking on feedback from supporters. We’ve been trying to looking at improvements to encourage as many people as possible to become a season ticket holder. This includes a new payment option to help make it as affordable as possible, for current and new supporters, while keeping the process simple and effective.

We’ll be launching an early-bird offer to existing and new season ticket holders soon. Detailed information will be shared with Season Ticket holders and published on our website so keep an eye out for those updates.

Disabled Supporter Engagement:

Last season (23/24) we hosted several Disabled Supporter events here at the stadium, to talk through their experiences, get feedback and listen to new ideas; both on the limited facilities in the current stadium and, of course, planning for the new stadium at EcoPark.

The latter is crucial as we can adjust the design relatively easily at this early stage, to better accommodate disabled supporters. Meeting the legal requirements is not enough, I want to exceed them; to have a well-designed and thought out stadium & site that is truly inclusive to all supporters. My hope is that this informal group can evolve into a Disabled Supporter Association (DSA) of some form, that could be part of or linked to our Supporters Club. For any supporters who would like to be added to this group, please email reception@fgr.co.uk.

Summary:

As we get into the final part of the season we are naturally focused on a several key areas: the final run of home games and boosting crowds where we can (for example, initiatives like our Youth Offer), season tickets and matchday plans for 25/26, upgrades and improvements onsite, the training ground at J13 and the EcoPark stadium.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all FGR supporters – it has been a tough start to the season with so many away games and then a seemingly endless run of home fixtures in the lead up to Christmas. Your support, home and away, is always appreciated by the team and everyone at the club.