Latest news with #ForestGreen
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘Have to say, that's horrendous' – Fans horrified by club's new kit ‘designed by Year 11 on work experience'
FOREST GREEN ROVERS have unveiled their new kits for the 2025-26 season - and it's fair to say it's not gone down well with fans. The National League side - relegated from the English Football League after a seven-year stint - are known for their bold yet sustainable choices. 4 Forest Green Rovers have unveiled their vegan, recyclable, luminous football kits for 2025-26 Credit: FGR 4 The away kit is a pink colourway to complement the home yellow Credit: FGR From their Having unveiled in the past, this year the eco-friendly team have unleashed the world's first fully vegan outfit. The luminous yellow and pink kits - which both feature a bold leopard print design - are also fully recyclable and feature three stars on the neck, representing the club's desire to reach the Championship. However, the eye-melting strips haven't gone down well with fans. READ MORE SPORT STORIES Taking to X, one wrote: "Have to say, that is horrendous." Another disgusted fan asked: "Did the Year 11 on work experience at FGR design this?" A third commented: "Forest Green are that whacky uncle who tries too hard to be different." One resigned supporter even apologised, posting: "I'm actually a little heart broken by this. Being a FGR fan is hard enough without this added humiliation. Sorry." Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Another bluntly poked: "This is possibly the worst kit ever released." Forest Green chairman Dale Vince said: 'We like to push the boundaries on sustainability issues, including what our shirts are made from because the materials we use to make things really matters. From vegan pies to bamboo kits, Forest Green Rovers are the greenest football club in the world "In pursuit of the most sustainable football kit we've experimented in previous seasons with both bamboo and with coffee grounds. "This season our new strip pushes the boundary again - we've created the world's first fully certified vegan football kit, by making sure the dyes we use, which are an often overlooked ingredient, are plant-based. "Our new shirt is also fully recyclable and will be turned back into future items by Reflo. "I'm really pleased to unveil our bold, bright new kit that's inspired by nature and helping nature - that's pretty fabulous.' On the kit release, The Vegan Society's Alex Markland said: "This is another exciting development in The Vegan Society's relationship with Forest Green Rovers. "We've been working with the team for eight years and have awarded our Vegan Trademark certification in a number of areas of the club's operations... "But this kit is the first in the world to be certified vegan and is the most visible demonstration yet of Forest Green Rovers' pioneering approach to sustainability in football." 4 Forest Green went for a "bold and bright" colour scheme for 2025-26 Credit: instagram/fgrfc_official 4 One Forest Green fan even apologised for his side's latest endeavour Credit: instagram/fgrfc_official Rory MacFadyen, co-founder of Reflo, said: 'This is exactly what Reflo was built for — pushing what's possible for sustainable performancewear. "Partnering with Forest Green Rovers to create the world's first fully vegan shirt, made from recycled materials with the ability to be recycled at end of life. "It's a milestone moment for us. FGR have led the way in showing football can be a force for good, and we're proud to help them take another step forward with a shirt that looks amazing, performs at the highest level and helps keep kit out of landfill for good.' Meanwhile, Forest Green Rovers have launched a pioneering scheme offering football tickets on prescription to help battle depression. Vince, alongside MP Stroud - Dr Simon Opher - have put together a plan affording Gloucestershire patients the chance to attend the club's games. The hope is to treat patients suffering from mild to moderate depression without the need for anti-depressants. Dr Opher - who has previously prescribed comedy and gardening - said: "Football clubs are in the centre of our communities and it's a way of getting people who perhaps are a bit socially isolated back into the community and back chatting to people. "It's a different way of treating mental illness that doesn't involve tablets. "When you play football you often go out and socialise after. I think one of the problems in our society is we've lost that ability and a lot of people get quite isolated - which leads to depression." If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
‘Have to say, that's horrendous' – Fans horrified by club's new kit ‘designed by Year 11 on work experience'
Club will wear the 'fully vegan' strips for two seasons YELLOW MOAN 'Have to say, that's horrendous' – Fans horrified by club's new kit 'designed by Year 11 on work experience' FOREST GREEN ROVERS have unveiled their new kits for the 2025-26 season - and it's fair to say it's not gone down well with fans. The National League side - relegated from the English Football League after a seven-year stint - are known for their bold yet sustainable choices. 4 Forest Green Rovers have unveiled their vegan, recyclable, luminous football kits for 2025-26 Credit: FGR 4 The away kit is a pink colourway to complement the home yellow Credit: FGR From their proposed stadium to their kits, Forest Green - managed by Robbie Savage - have always pushed boundaries. Having unveiled strips made out of bamboo and even COFFEE GROUNDS in the past, this year the eco-friendly team have unleashed the world's first fully vegan outfit. The luminous yellow and pink kits - which both feature a bold leopard print design - are also fully recyclable and feature three stars on the neck, representing the club's desire to reach the Championship. However, the eye-melting strips haven't gone down well with fans. READ MORE SPORT STORIES IT'S FERGIE TIME Sir Alex Ferguson gatecrashes Rio's podcast... but refuses to take part Taking to X, one wrote: "Have to say, that is horrendous." Another disgusted fan asked: "Did the Year 11 on work experience at FGR design this?" A third commented: "Forest Green are that whacky uncle who tries too hard to be different." One resigned supporter even apologised, posting: "I'm actually a little heart broken by this. Being a FGR fan is hard enough without this added humiliation. Sorry." CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Another bluntly poked: "This is possibly the worst kit ever released." Forest Green chairman Dale Vince said: 'We like to push the boundaries on sustainability issues, including what our shirts are made from because the materials we use to make things really matters. From vegan pies to bamboo kits, Forest Green Rovers are the greenest football club in the world "In pursuit of the most sustainable football kit we've experimented in previous seasons with both bamboo and with coffee grounds. "This season our new strip pushes the boundary again - we've created the world's first fully certified vegan football kit, by making sure the dyes we use, which are an often overlooked ingredient, are plant-based. "Our new shirt is also fully recyclable and will be turned back into future items by Reflo. "I'm really pleased to unveil our bold, bright new kit that's inspired by nature and helping nature - that's pretty fabulous.' On the kit release, The Vegan Society's Alex Markland said: "This is another exciting development in The Vegan Society's relationship with Forest Green Rovers. "We've been working with the team for eight years and have awarded our Vegan Trademark certification in a number of areas of the club's operations... "But this kit is the first in the world to be certified vegan and is the most visible demonstration yet of Forest Green Rovers' pioneering approach to sustainability in football." 4 Forest Green went for a "bold and bright" colour scheme for 2025-26 Credit: instagram/fgrfc_official 4 One Forest Green fan even apologised for his side's latest endeavour Credit: instagram/fgrfc_official Rory MacFadyen, co-founder of Reflo, said: 'This is exactly what Reflo was built for — pushing what's possible for sustainable performancewear. "Partnering with Forest Green Rovers to create the world's first fully vegan shirt, made from recycled materials with the ability to be recycled at end of life. "It's a milestone moment for us. FGR have led the way in showing football can be a force for good, and we're proud to help them take another step forward with a shirt that looks amazing, performs at the highest level and helps keep kit out of landfill for good.' Meanwhile, Forest Green Rovers have launched a pioneering scheme offering football tickets on prescription to help battle depression. Vince, alongside MP Stroud - Dr Simon Opher - have put together a plan affording Gloucestershire patients the chance to attend the club's games. The hope is to treat patients suffering from mild to moderate depression without the need for anti-depressants. Dr Opher - who has previously prescribed comedy and gardening - said: "Football clubs are in the centre of our communities and it's a way of getting people who perhaps are a bit socially isolated back into the community and back chatting to people. "It's a different way of treating mental illness that doesn't involve tablets. "When you play football you often go out and socialise after. I think one of the problems in our society is we've lost that ability and a lot of people get quite isolated - which leads to depression." If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
Rhyl Journal
4 days ago
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
GPs to make football available on prescription for depression sufferers
The plans, drawn up by GP turned MP Dr Simon Opher (Stroud) and Mr Vince, will see patients at surgeries in Gloucestershire given the chance to attend games at National League side Forest Green Rovers. Mr Vince has owned the club since 2010. The initiative is part of a move by Dr Opher who has pioneered offering social prescribing to patients with mild or moderate depression instead of antidepressants. Both comedy and gardening have previously been prescribed to patients by Dr Opher. He said on average around four-in-five tend to stick with prescribed activities, with one of the main benefits of tackling loneliness. Dr Opher told the PA news agency: 'I do think there's something about watching football which does give you a sense of community. 'I think one of the biggest problems in our society is social isolation. 'It's really quite toxic, actually, and it's created in the modern world by social media. 'Pubs aren't so popular, we don't get out as much, we don't live in extended families, so that is very bad for you. 'You can quantify it, it's the same health risk as smoking about 20 cigarettes a day. It's really bad. 'One of the things here is just getting people out and socialising.' He added: 'Football isn't going to be for everyone. Nothing is, but we need a range of options. 'Football is about socialising and roaring on your team, getting excited, taking yourself out of your own life for a short while, and living through something else.' Dr Opher has previously spoken about his concerns on the over prescription of antidepressants. He said he does not believe they should be given to patients if they have moderate or mild symptoms. The number of people of antidepressants rose by 2.1% last year, compared to 2022/23. He said: 'If you've got severe depression then I would always recommend antidepressants, but a large majority of people have got what they call mild to moderate depression, and the tendency at the moment is to give them tablets, because there's no mental health support really, it can take six months to get it, and you feel like you need to do something. 'That's why we've got to a stage where we've got 8.7 million people on antidepressants, so we need to try something else.' Patients at a dozen surgeries in the county near Forest Green's The New Lawn ground in Nailsworth will be given the chance to be referred to go to a game. The initiative is planned to run for the whole season, beginning with the side's first home game against Yeovil Town on August 16. The tickets are being donated for free by Forest Green. There's no guarantee action on the pitch will lift the spirits of depression sufferers, as Forest Green suffered penalty heartbreak in the playoffs last season, losing to Southend. Mr Vince bought the club in 2010, and has since turned them into the world's first vegan, and carbon-neutral football club. Under his ownership the long-time non-league club reached League One, before suffering two back-to-back relegations. Mr Vince is best known for founding green energy company Ecotricity. It has previously donated £5 million to the Labour Party. He said: 'I think it'd be a great thing if football clubs up and down the country could reach out to people and do this. 'Men typically don't really talk about their issues, that's the thing, and you get loneliness and things like that as well. 'In my life I've had periods of my life where I've been a bit fed up, and excluded … a bit down from time to time, it's easy to spiral downwards when you're not in contact with people and I just wanted to do something with that.' He added: 'Forest Green has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I'm keen to share that.' Dr Opher's scepticism towards widespread antidepressant prescription came after he began his career as a GP in 1995. 'I'd started seeing there's a lot of people depressed out there, a lot of people with low mood, so I started putting a lot of them on antidepressants or referring them to mental health,' he said. 'Quite a few of them, one in four, maybe even more, would just come back no better, but with intractable problems. 'What I realised is that tablets didn't help them, we had nothing to help them. 'I thought we needed to try something different and do a different behaviour.' He added: 'For the people it did work for, it was transformative, and also they got onto the next thing, they stopped coming to see me, which is a great sign.'
South Wales Guardian
4 days ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
GPs to make football available on prescription for depression sufferers
The plans, drawn up by GP turned MP Dr Simon Opher (Stroud) and Mr Vince, will see patients at surgeries in Gloucestershire given the chance to attend games at National League side Forest Green Rovers. Mr Vince has owned the club since 2010. The initiative is part of a move by Dr Opher who has pioneered offering social prescribing to patients with mild or moderate depression instead of antidepressants. Both comedy and gardening have previously been prescribed to patients by Dr Opher. He said on average around four-in-five tend to stick with prescribed activities, with one of the main benefits of tackling loneliness. Dr Opher told the PA news agency: 'I do think there's something about watching football which does give you a sense of community. 'I think one of the biggest problems in our society is social isolation. 'It's really quite toxic, actually, and it's created in the modern world by social media. 'Pubs aren't so popular, we don't get out as much, we don't live in extended families, so that is very bad for you. 'You can quantify it, it's the same health risk as smoking about 20 cigarettes a day. It's really bad. 'One of the things here is just getting people out and socialising.' He added: 'Football isn't going to be for everyone. Nothing is, but we need a range of options. 'Football is about socialising and roaring on your team, getting excited, taking yourself out of your own life for a short while, and living through something else.' Dr Opher has previously spoken about his concerns on the over prescription of antidepressants. He said he does not believe they should be given to patients if they have moderate or mild symptoms. The number of people of antidepressants rose by 2.1% last year, compared to 2022/23. He said: 'If you've got severe depression then I would always recommend antidepressants, but a large majority of people have got what they call mild to moderate depression, and the tendency at the moment is to give them tablets, because there's no mental health support really, it can take six months to get it, and you feel like you need to do something. 'That's why we've got to a stage where we've got 8.7 million people on antidepressants, so we need to try something else.' Patients at a dozen surgeries in the county near Forest Green's The New Lawn ground in Nailsworth will be given the chance to be referred to go to a game. The initiative is planned to run for the whole season, beginning with the side's first home game against Yeovil Town on August 16. The tickets are being donated for free by Forest Green. There's no guarantee action on the pitch will lift the spirits of depression sufferers, as Forest Green suffered penalty heartbreak in the playoffs last season, losing to Southend. Mr Vince bought the club in 2010, and has since turned them into the world's first vegan, and carbon-neutral football club. Under his ownership the long-time non-league club reached League One, before suffering two back-to-back relegations. Mr Vince is best known for founding green energy company Ecotricity. It has previously donated £5 million to the Labour Party. He said: 'I think it'd be a great thing if football clubs up and down the country could reach out to people and do this. 'Men typically don't really talk about their issues, that's the thing, and you get loneliness and things like that as well. 'In my life I've had periods of my life where I've been a bit fed up, and excluded … a bit down from time to time, it's easy to spiral downwards when you're not in contact with people and I just wanted to do something with that.' He added: 'Forest Green has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I'm keen to share that.' Dr Opher's scepticism towards widespread antidepressant prescription came after he began his career as a GP in 1995. 'I'd started seeing there's a lot of people depressed out there, a lot of people with low mood, so I started putting a lot of them on antidepressants or referring them to mental health,' he said. 'Quite a few of them, one in four, maybe even more, would just come back no better, but with intractable problems. 'What I realised is that tablets didn't help them, we had nothing to help them. 'I thought we needed to try something different and do a different behaviour.' He added: 'For the people it did work for, it was transformative, and also they got onto the next thing, they stopped coming to see me, which is a great sign.'
Leader Live
4 days ago
- Health
- Leader Live
GPs to make football available on prescription for depression sufferers
The plans, drawn up by GP turned MP Dr Simon Opher (Stroud) and Mr Vince, will see patients at surgeries in Gloucestershire given the chance to attend games at National League side Forest Green Rovers. Mr Vince has owned the club since 2010. The initiative is part of a move by Dr Opher who has pioneered offering social prescribing to patients with mild or moderate depression instead of antidepressants. Both comedy and gardening have previously been prescribed to patients by Dr Opher. He said on average around four-in-five tend to stick with prescribed activities, with one of the main benefits of tackling loneliness. Dr Opher told the PA news agency: 'I do think there's something about watching football which does give you a sense of community. 'I think one of the biggest problems in our society is social isolation. 'It's really quite toxic, actually, and it's created in the modern world by social media. 'Pubs aren't so popular, we don't get out as much, we don't live in extended families, so that is very bad for you. 'You can quantify it, it's the same health risk as smoking about 20 cigarettes a day. It's really bad. 'One of the things here is just getting people out and socialising.' He added: 'Football isn't going to be for everyone. Nothing is, but we need a range of options. 'Football is about socialising and roaring on your team, getting excited, taking yourself out of your own life for a short while, and living through something else.' Dr Opher has previously spoken about his concerns on the over prescription of antidepressants. He said he does not believe they should be given to patients if they have moderate or mild symptoms. The number of people of antidepressants rose by 2.1% last year, compared to 2022/23. He said: 'If you've got severe depression then I would always recommend antidepressants, but a large majority of people have got what they call mild to moderate depression, and the tendency at the moment is to give them tablets, because there's no mental health support really, it can take six months to get it, and you feel like you need to do something. 'That's why we've got to a stage where we've got 8.7 million people on antidepressants, so we need to try something else.' Patients at a dozen surgeries in the county near Forest Green's The New Lawn ground in Nailsworth will be given the chance to be referred to go to a game. The initiative is planned to run for the whole season, beginning with the side's first home game against Yeovil Town on August 16. The tickets are being donated for free by Forest Green. There's no guarantee action on the pitch will lift the spirits of depression sufferers, as Forest Green suffered penalty heartbreak in the playoffs last season, losing to Southend. Mr Vince bought the club in 2010, and has since turned them into the world's first vegan, and carbon-neutral football club. Under his ownership the long-time non-league club reached League One, before suffering two back-to-back relegations. Mr Vince is best known for founding green energy company Ecotricity. It has previously donated £5 million to the Labour Party. He said: 'I think it'd be a great thing if football clubs up and down the country could reach out to people and do this. 'Men typically don't really talk about their issues, that's the thing, and you get loneliness and things like that as well. 'In my life I've had periods of my life where I've been a bit fed up, and excluded … a bit down from time to time, it's easy to spiral downwards when you're not in contact with people and I just wanted to do something with that.' He added: 'Forest Green has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I'm keen to share that.' Dr Opher's scepticism towards widespread antidepressant prescription came after he began his career as a GP in 1995. 'I'd started seeing there's a lot of people depressed out there, a lot of people with low mood, so I started putting a lot of them on antidepressants or referring them to mental health,' he said. 'Quite a few of them, one in four, maybe even more, would just come back no better, but with intractable problems. 'What I realised is that tablets didn't help them, we had nothing to help them. 'I thought we needed to try something different and do a different behaviour.' He added: 'For the people it did work for, it was transformative, and also they got onto the next thing, they stopped coming to see me, which is a great sign.'
