Founded in 1889 the Gloucestershire club gained entrance to the Football League for the first time in their history in 2017. They are based in the town of Nailsworth, which has the distinction now of being the smallest ever place in England to host a league club.
However, that is by no means the only thing that makes FGR different. Since Dale Vince took over as chairman in 2015, the club has become the first ever vegan club. In 2018, they also became the first ever to be certified as carbon-neutral, and it has been recognised by both FIFA and the United Nations as the most environmentally friendly club in the world.
Everything about FGR is unusual, from the organic pitch where the groundsmen eschew the use of pesticides and cut it using a solar-powered motor guided by a bot, to the lunch menu, which offers a range of meat-free options. Even the matchday pints of beer do not contain animal products in them.
Players are not forced to follow a vegan diet but are strongly encouraged to do so by the team management.
The team wear shirts designed by the chairman which are 50% made off bamboos, whilst FGR are planning to move to a new stadium designed entirely from wood, surrounded by hedgerows.
Bellern is not a normal football either. He has a wide range of interests outside the game, including fashion, politics, and the arts, and became a vegan himself in 2017, attributing it to an overall improvement in his health.
He is also passionate about environmental issues and, after lockdown, pledged to plant 3,000 trees for every game that Arsenal won. In the end, some 50,000 trees were planted as a result of his efforts, helping to combat carbon emissions.
Bellern will now work with Vince and the rest of the club on a range of initiatives designed to pass on the message about the new to environmentally friendly to all those involved in football fans, teams, and leagues.