The New Lawn

Nailsworth is a small Gloucestershire town, and The New Lawn sits above it. What sets it apart is who owns it and what that ownership has done to the pitch: the stadium belongs to Ecotricity, the energy company whose majority owner is Dale Vince.

The club, Forest Green Rovers, arrived here in 2006 after 116 years at The Lawn Ground — the Old Lawn, as it is still called locally. Building work began on 3 May 2005. Swindon Town came for a friendly in July 2006 to christen the place, and the formal opening followed that September, with England C playing the home side.

The naming has moved with the sponsors rather than with the football: The Bolt New Lawn first, then The Innocent New Lawn from 2020, then The Fully Charged New Lawn from 2021. The ground itself has not changed name.

Its fullest night came on 3 January 2009, when Derby County visited in the FA Cup and 4,836 people got in — Derby won 4-3. The league figure is lower and much more recent: 4,788 against Bristol Rovers on 11 March 2023.

A separate ground, Eco Park, has been drawn up for the club by Zaha Hadid Architects. It has nothing to do with this one.