{
  "reviewed": "2026-10-07",
  "title": "Forest Green Rovers: competitive sustainability",
  "method": "Season-start year on x; division actually contested on y. Colors mark documented milestones reached, not a numeric or annually audited sustainability score. Current season has no final position.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "original",
      "number": 1,
      "title": "A.N.Ranga · Competitive Sustainability with the Forest Green Rovers",
      "url": "https://anranga95.medium.com/competitive-sustainability-with-the-forest-green-rovers-5ba44fad4545",
      "date": "8 Nov 2021",
      "type": "Original essay",
      "note": "The question and original competitive-sustainability framing. Contemporary claims are revisited rather than carried forward unchanged."
    },
    {
      "id": "history",
      "number": 2,
      "title": "Forest Green Rovers · Our history",
      "url": "https://www.fgr.co.uk/our-history/",
      "date": "Accessed 7 Oct 2026",
      "type": "Club record",
      "note": "Foundation, August 2010 involvement, vegan operations in 2015, promotions and relegations."
    },
    {
      "id": "seasons",
      "number": 3,
      "title": "Football Club History Database · Forest Green Rovers",
      "url": "https://fchd.info/FORESTGR.HTM",
      "date": "Accessed 7 Oct 2026",
      "type": "Historical database",
      "note": "Season-by-season divisions and final positions; 2026/27 division only. Cross-checked the pivotal moves against the club history."
    },
    {
      "id": "operations",
      "number": 4,
      "title": "Forest Green Rovers · Another Way",
      "url": "https://www.fgr.co.uk/another-way/",
      "date": "Accessed 7 Oct 2026",
      "type": "Club self-report",
      "note": "Solar electricity, rainwater recycling, organic grounds and food policy. Undated “last season” carbon totals are not treated as current-year measurements."
    },
    {
      "id": "un",
      "number": 5,
      "title": "UNFCCC · Football Club Leads with Climate Neutral Pledge",
      "url": "https://unfccc.int/zh/node/181303",
      "date": "1 Aug 2018",
      "type": "UN announcement",
      "note": "Climate Neutral Now commitment: measure, reduce and offset. Documents stadium practices; does not establish zero gross emissions."
    },
    {
      "id": "edwards",
      "number": 6,
      "title": "Forest Green Rovers · Rob Edwards departs",
      "url": "https://www.fgr.co.uk/news/fgr-confirms-the-departure-of-head-coach-rob-edwards/",
      "date": "11 May 2022",
      "type": "Club announcement",
      "note": "Departure of head coach Rob Edwards and assistant Richie Kyle, with Watford identified."
    },
    {
      "id": "watford",
      "number": 7,
      "title": "BBC Sport · Watford appoint Rob Edwards",
      "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61413324",
      "date": "11 May 2022",
      "type": "Reporting",
      "note": "Watford had been relegated; the appointment was for the following season."
    },
    {
      "id": "adams",
      "number": 8,
      "title": "Cardiff City · Ebou Adams is a Bluebird",
      "url": "https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news/ebou-adams-bluebird",
      "date": "13 May 2022",
      "type": "Club announcement",
      "note": "Adams joins Cardiff at contract expiry, effective 1 July; destination is the Championship."
    },
    {
      "id": "transfers",
      "number": 9,
      "title": "2022/23 FGR season · Transfer and coaching record",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022%E2%80%9323_Forest_Green_Rovers_F.C._season",
      "date": "Accessed 7 Oct 2026",
      "type": "Secondary compilation",
      "note": "Kane Wilson to Bristol City, Nicky Cadden to Barnsley; Ian Burchnall followed by Duncan Ferguson."
    },
    {
      "id": "hughes",
      "number": 10,
      "title": "Forest Green Rovers · Rich Hughes departure",
      "url": "https://www.fgr.co.uk/news/forest-green-rovers-confirm-rich-hughes-departure/",
      "date": "29 Sep 2022",
      "type": "Club announcement",
      "note": "Director of football departs for Portsmouth."
    },
    {
      "id": "coaches",
      "number": 11,
      "title": "2023/24 FGR season · Coaching record",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023%E2%80%9324_Forest_Green_Rovers_F.C._season",
      "date": "Accessed 7 Oct 2026",
      "type": "Secondary compilation",
      "note": "David Horseman, Troy Deeney and Steve Cotterill; interim roles distinguished."
    },
    {
      "id": "cotterill",
      "number": 12,
      "title": "Forest Green Rovers · Steve Cotterill appointed",
      "url": "https://www.fgr.co.uk/news/steve-cotterill-appointed-fgr-manager/",
      "date": "25 Jan 2024",
      "type": "Club announcement",
      "note": "Appointment during the League Two relegation battle."
    },
    {
      "id": "injury",
      "number": 13,
      "title": "Forest Green Rovers · Mansfield match preview",
      "url": "https://www.fgr.co.uk/news/match-preview-mansfield-town-a/",
      "date": "6 May 2022",
      "type": "Club report",
      "note": "Matty Stevens absent while recovering from an ACL injury."
    },
    {
      "id": "southend",
      "number": 14,
      "title": "Forest Green Rovers · Play-off defeat to Southend",
      "url": "https://www.fgr.co.uk/news/report-or-forest-green-2-2-southend-united/",
      "date": "22 May 2025",
      "type": "Match report",
      "note": "Southend progressed on penalties after a 2–2 draw."
    },
    {
      "id": "wood",
      "number": 15,
      "title": "Boreham Wood · Play-off win over Forest Green",
      "url": "https://www.borehamwoodfootballclub.co.uk/fixtures-and-results/boreham-wood-v-forest-green-rovers-or-southend-united/",
      "date": "29 Apr 2026",
      "type": "Match report",
      "note": "FGR lost 1–0 after extra time in the play-off eliminator."
    },
    {
      "id": "savage",
      "number": 16,
      "title": "Peterborough United · Robbie Savage appointed",
      "url": "https://www.theposh.com/news/posh-appoint-robbie-savage-new-manager",
      "date": "2 Oct 2026",
      "type": "Club announcement",
      "note": "Confirms Savage joins from FGR."
    },
    {
      "id": "savage-context",
      "number": 17,
      "title": "Forest Green Rovers · Statement on Robbie Savage",
      "url": "https://www.fgr.co.uk/news/club-statement-robbie-savage/",
      "date": "29 Sep 2026",
      "type": "Club announcement",
      "note": "Vince says permission to speak to Peterborough followed a request to leave for personal reasons."
    },
    {
      "id": "reprieve",
      "number": 18,
      "title": "Football Conference · Official statement",
      "url": "https://www.footballconference.co.uk/news/3443/Official_Football_Conference_S.html",
      "date": "11 Jun 2010",
      "type": "League statement (indexed archive)",
      "note": "FGR retained its place after insolvency-rule appeals by other clubs were dismissed; historical page retrieved through the search index."
    }
  ],
  "seasons": [
    {
      "year": 2000,
      "season": "2000/01",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 16,
      "teams": 22,
      "stage": "before",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Before Vince",
      "note": "A decade in the fifth tier begins. The club had already reached the Conference in 1998.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "history"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2001,
      "season": "2001/02",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 18,
      "teams": 22,
      "stage": "before",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Building the sporting record",
      "note": "Finished 18 in the Conference. The chart tracks the division played in, not a sustainability-adjusted sporting score.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2002,
      "season": "2002/03",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 9,
      "teams": 22,
      "stage": "before",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Building the sporting record",
      "note": "Finished 9 in the Conference. The chart tracks the division played in, not a sustainability-adjusted sporting score.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2003,
      "season": "2003/04",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 18,
      "teams": 22,
      "stage": "before",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Building the sporting record",
      "note": "Finished 18 in the Conference. The chart tracks the division played in, not a sustainability-adjusted sporting score.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2004,
      "season": "2004/05",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 20,
      "teams": 22,
      "stage": "before",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Building the sporting record",
      "note": "Finished 20 in the Conference. The chart tracks the division played in, not a sustainability-adjusted sporting score.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2005,
      "season": "2005/06",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 19,
      "teams": 22,
      "stage": "before",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Building the sporting record",
      "note": "Finished 19 in the Conference. The chart tracks the division played in, not a sustainability-adjusted sporting score.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2006,
      "season": "2006/07",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 14,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "before",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "A new home",
      "note": "The New Lawn opened in 2006, before Vince’s involvement. Sustainability later included retrofitting the existing stadium.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "history"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2007,
      "season": "2007/08",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 8,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "before",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Building the sporting record",
      "note": "Finished 8 in the Conference. The chart tracks the division played in, not a sustainability-adjusted sporting score.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2008,
      "season": "2008/09",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 18,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "before",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Building the sporting record",
      "note": "Finished 18 in the Conference. The chart tracks the division played in, not a sustainability-adjusted sporting score.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2009,
      "season": "2009/10",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 21,
      "teams": 23,
      "stage": "before",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Survival before the takeover",
      "note": "Finished 21st of 23; retained its Conference place after the league’s insolvency decisions. This was a reprieve, not a promotion.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "reprieve"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2010,
      "season": "2010/11",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 20,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "transition",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Dale Vince gets involved",
      "note": "The Ecotricity founder joined in August 2010 with the club in financial difficulty. Environmental changes and new ownership arrived together.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "history"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2011,
      "season": "2011/12",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 10,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "transition",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Building the sporting record",
      "note": "Finished 10 in the Conference. The chart tracks the division played in, not a sustainability-adjusted sporting score.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2012,
      "season": "2012/13",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 10,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "transition",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Building the sporting record",
      "note": "Finished 10 in the Conference. The chart tracks the division played in, not a sustainability-adjusted sporting score.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2013,
      "season": "2013/14",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 10,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "transition",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Building the sporting record",
      "note": "Finished 10 in the Conference. The chart tracks the division played in, not a sustainability-adjusted sporting score.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2014,
      "season": "2014/15",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "Conference",
      "position": 5,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "transition",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Into the play-offs",
      "note": "Fifth place after a three-point deduction. Promotion was still two seasons away.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2015,
      "season": "2015/16",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "National League",
      "position": 2,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "vegan",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Vegan operations",
      "note": "The club became fully vegan in 2015. Second place ended with defeat in the play-off final. Club food policy does not establish every player’s diet at home.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "history"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2016,
      "season": "2016/17",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "National League",
      "position": 3,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "vegan",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Wembley breakthrough",
      "note": "Won the 2017 National League play-off final. Promotion put FGR in League Two for the following season.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "history"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2017,
      "season": "2017/18",
      "tier": 4,
      "league": "League Two",
      "position": 21,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "vegan",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "First Football League season",
      "note": "Competed in League Two for the first time. Finished 21st and stayed up.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2018,
      "season": "2018/19",
      "tier": 4,
      "league": "League Two",
      "position": 5,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "pledge",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Climate pledge + a play-off finish",
      "note": "Joined Climate Neutral Now in August 2018. Finished fifth in League Two; lost in the play-offs.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "un"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2019,
      "season": "2019/20",
      "tier": 4,
      "league": "League Two",
      "position": 10,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "pledge",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "A disrupted season",
      "note": "League Two was curtailed by COVID-19; the final table used points per game. FGR finished tenth.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2020,
      "season": "2020/21",
      "tier": 4,
      "league": "League Two",
      "position": 6,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "pledge",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Another play-off attempt",
      "note": "Sixth in League Two, followed by a semi-final defeat. No promotion.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2021,
      "season": "2021/22",
      "tier": 4,
      "league": "League Two",
      "position": 1,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "pledge",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "League Two champions",
      "note": "Won the 2021/22 title with 84 points. The original essay was published during this season, in November 2021.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2022,
      "season": "2022/23",
      "tier": 3,
      "league": "League One",
      "position": 24,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "pledge",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "The peak—and the first relegation",
      "note": "FGR’s only League One season ended in 24th place. The 2022 departures and subsequent coaching changes form the central management challenge.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "seasons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2023,
      "season": "2023/24",
      "tier": 4,
      "league": "League Two",
      "position": 24,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "pledge",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "A second relegation",
      "note": "Finished 24th in League Two. After seven seasons in the EFL, FGR returned to the National League.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "history"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2024,
      "season": "2024/25",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "National League",
      "position": 3,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "pledge",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "A recovery, short of promotion",
      "note": "Third in the National League. Lost the play-off semi-final to Southend on penalties.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "southend"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2025,
      "season": "2025/26",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "National League",
      "position": 7,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "pledge",
      "status": "complete",
      "title": "Another play-off exit",
      "note": "Seventh in the National League. Lost 1–0 after extra time at Boreham Wood in the eliminator.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "wood"
      ]
    },
    {
      "year": 2026,
      "season": "2026/27",
      "tier": 5,
      "league": "National League",
      "position": null,
      "teams": 24,
      "stage": "pledge",
      "status": "in_progress",
      "title": "The next chapter is open",
      "note": "Competing in the National League in 2026/27. Robbie Savage left for Peterborough on 2 October 2026. No final position is available for this ongoing season.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "seasons",
        "savage"
      ]
    }
  ]
}