Forest Green Rovers have apologised after failing to mark Remembrance Day at their home match against Harrogate Town, with owner Dale Vince attributing the oversight to a "human error".
Football clubs typically observe a minute's silence at their nearest home fixture to Remembrance Sunday, which this year fell on November 8. For Forest Green, that was their National League match against Harrogate Town on October 31.
The game passed without any mention of Remembrance, which honours those who have lost their lives fighting since World War I. However, Forest Green did take part in a minute's silence before their 2-0 defeat at Luton Town in the first round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Club's explanation
Replying to a question on the club's Fan Advisory Board, Vince said: "The lack of Remembrance at a home game is simply down to a human error/mistake on the club."
He added: "It didn’t help that we had a sizable number of games in a small time frame (including the FA Cup replay) beforehand; albeit that isn’t an excuse, we should have got this right."
Vince said the omission did not represent any change in the club's position or its support for the Royal British Legion and Remembrance. "This was a simple error/mistake," he reiterated.
Future commemorations
Vince, the founder of green energy company Ecotricity, said the club would contact the Royal British Legion (RBL) for advice on any future commemorations. Forest Green will also update their matchday planning sheet for next season to ensure the mistake is not repeated.
The mistake did not go unnoticed, with a post on X showing the club's players observing a minute's silence at Luton on Saturday prompting replies full of criticism for their previous mistake.
An article on the Forest Green website did note the 11-year anniversary of the club becoming certified as vegan. Vince is a staunch environmental campaigner and has made Forest Green the world's first and only certified vegan football club.
Fan engagement
Writing on the club website, Vince recently admitted they need to improve engagement with the fanbase. "I have spoken to many supporters on matchdays, and although the overall view is very positive, it is clear there is still scope to improve; we can and always should aim to do better," he wrote.
The article, dated October 26 - five days before the Harrogate fixture - noted planned events at matches in the upcoming period. "Looking ahead to the festive season, we will be launching our half-season tickets soon, a great Christmas gift idea; plus we have some special plans for November and December," it read.
The club has been working on plans to host a range of events, tournaments and community engagement, all on the main stadium pitch before renovations.
