Vegan Soccer Club Reaches League Status

After winning the conference play-off final against Tranmere at Wembley stadium in London last weekend, the UK’s first vegan soccer team Forest Green Rovers (FGR) were promoted to the English Football League for the first time in their 128 year history. FGR’s owner Dale Vance removed all animal products from the team’s New Lawn stadium in 2015—in addition to installing solar panels, a chemical-free lawn, and a solar-powered lawn mower. Players have since dined on meat alternatives from Quorn, plant-based pizzas, and veggie burgers—and was awarded “Menu of the Year” by The Sports and Leisure Catering Magazine in 2016 for its innovative and sustainable vegan offerings. “It is an unbelievable achievement to put a village team in the Football League,” FGR’s manager Mark Cooper said of the victory. “As we grow, we will gradually attract more supporters and become even more sustainable,” Cooper said before revealing plans for a future expansion to an all wooden, more eco-friendly stadium.