Owner Dale Vince talks about Forest Green Rovers unique sustainability model and his legion of global fans

These Football Times when asked how he came to be in charge of a football club. "You just carry on, using logic and not caring too much about the rules, certainly not the way things have traditionally been done.

"I approach everything with a clean sheet. Obviously in football there are rules that must be followed, but you don't have to follow conventions."

Not following convention certainly describes how Vince led Forest Green Rovers. He passed on his other company's green philosophy to the club and over the years made a number of significant changes, from a wind turbine to supply the stadium with electricity to a solar-powered robot to mow the grass.

Most of these changes were (and to some extent still are) viewed with suspicion. When he first introduced vegetarian-only menus at Forest Green Rovers, The S*n quickly called it a 'red meat ban'. Similar skepticism surrounded many other changes he helped push through.

That didn't deter him. As the changes happened, recognition also grew, with the United Nations awarding them carbon...