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The Forest Green Rovers are the world's only vegan football team

The Forest Green Rovers traded the classic fodder of meat pies and pints for soy milk and an entirely vegan menu​.

As the world's first vegan soccer team, the Forest Green Rovers traded the classic soccer fodder of meat pies and pints for soy milk and an entirely vegan menu.

And true to its name, the team also uses only solar or wind power, plays on an organic pitch that grows using recycled rainwater, and offers free electric car charging for fans. It's even unveiled plans for a pioneering carbon-neutral stadium made entirely of wood.

“We’ve got fan clubs springing up all around the world. It is quite incredible,” the team's owner, self-styled hippie Dale Vince, told VICE News. “These people are not necessarily football fans. But they’re people who are concerned about the environment, and they’re adopting us because of what we stand for off the pitch.”

The Rovers are minnows compared to the giants of the English Premier League, but the tiny soccer club has won promotion to the professional leagues for the first time with investment from Vince, who made his fortune in wind power. The team has now transformed itself into the greenest soccer club in the world.

This segment originally aired March 28, 2018, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.