Forest Green Rovers' new stadium to be built entirely out of wood

Forest Green Rovers have announced that their new stadium will be made entirely of wood.

The project is a 5,000-capacity arena which is part of a £100m Eco Park development scheme.

Forest Green Rovers chairman and Ecotricity founder, Dale Vince, said the new stadium would be a world first.

"The really standout thing about this stadium is that it's going to be entirely made of wood - the first time that will have been done anywhere in the world," he said.

"At Eco Park, we've started with a blank sheet of paper, and we'll be going further than anyone has done before - this really will be the greenest football stadium in the world."

Zaha Hadid Architects who have designed the stadium have been involved in several high-profile projects, including one of the five stadiums for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Dame Zaha Hadid, founder of the company, who passed away last year, was awarded the first Prizteker Architecture Prize in 2004 - known a the 'Nobel Prize of architecture'.

Company director Jim Heverin said: "With the team's community and supporters at its core, fans will be as close as five meters from the pitch and every seat has been calculated to provide unrestricted sight lines to the entire field of play.

"The stadium's continuous spectator bowl surrounding the pitch will maximise matchday atmosphere."

One half of Eco Park will be home to a green technology business park, potentially creating up to 4,000 jobs.