Forest Green Rovers
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| Full name | Forest Green Rovers Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Rovers The Green FGR The Little Club On The Hill Green Army |
| Founded | 1889 (as 'Forest Green') |
| Ground | The New Lawn |
| Capacity | 5,141 (2,000 seated) |
| Chairman | Dale Vince |
| Manager | Mark Cooper |
| League | National League |
| 2015–16 | National League, 2nd |
| Website | Club home page |
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. Affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA, they are currently members of the National League and play at the New Lawn.
The club was established in 1889 by Reverend E.J.H. Peach, representing the Forest Green area of Nailsworth. The name Rovers was adopted in 1893, and the following year the club were founder members of the Mid-Gloucestershire League. Their first home league match on 6 October was a 1–1 draw with Brimscombe, and the club went on to finish the 1894–95 season in third place. As Nailsworth had become an urban district in 1894, there was an effort to ensure the town was represented by a football team. As a result the club was renamed Nailsworth Association Football Club and many members of the original team were replaced by players from Nailsworth, although they continued to play at the original Lawn Ground in Forest Green. However, the club withdrew from the league during the 1896–97 season.
The club was re-established in 1898 under the Forest Green Rovers name, and absorbed Nailsworth Thursday shortly afterwards. They joined both Division One of the Mid-Gloucestershire League and also the Dursley & District League for the 1899–1900 season. The Mid-Gloucestershire League folded in 1901, with Forest Green left playing in the Dursley & District League. In 1902–03 they joined the new Stroud & District League, also continuing in the Dursley & District League. In the Stroud & District League they finished as runners-up to Brimscombe, whilst in the Dursley & District League they finished joint top of the table with Stonehouse after being awarded the points from an unplayed match against Chalford. As a result, a play-off match was held to decide the championship, with over 1,000 spectators watching Forest Green win 2–1 in extra time. In 1906–07 they finished bottom of the Stroud & District League with zero points (although they had won one game, they had two points deducted for fielding an ineligible player). They withdrew from the Dursley & District League in 1908.
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