Trevor Horsley

Back in 1990 Forest Green Rovers were on their knees, facing crippling debts, loss of support and general demoralisation.

 

Stroud FC was a disaster and things looked bleak for the Club. Colin Peake had recently joined the Club and introduced Trevor Horsley to the Directors as someone with a keen interest in football. He became a Director and changed the Club’s name back to Forest Green Rovers for the 1992-93 season.

 

Always an ambitious man, he saw the potential in the Club to move on from its previous glory period in the early 1980s and with a firm hand and careful stewardship, the club’s debts were rescheduled and a new manager, Frank Gregan, was appointed in 1994.

 

Funds were made available to strengthen the squad and all of a sudden the future, which had looked so gloomy only 4 years before, suddenly looked rosy.

Trevor saw no boundary and put plans in hand to build a new stand and completed other ground improvements with one eye on the future.

 

Three years later Rovers were in the Southern League Premier Division for the first time in their history, but still that wasn’t the end of it. Why stop there? Further ground improvements were instigated and by April 1998 Conference National League Football was within the Club’s grasp. The first village team to reach the national leagues.

 

In August 1998, with many long term supporters looking on in almost disbelief, Rovers kicked off in The Conference against Rushden and Diamonds, the dark days of Stroud FC seeming a distant memory.

 

In 2002, ten years after joining the Club, Trevor recognised that Rovers would be stopped in its tracks if it couldn’t improve it’s facilities. He drew up plans for a new Football League stadium still in the village and over the next 3 years went about obtaining planning permission for “The New Lawn”. A year after getting permission the new stadium opened for business and in September 2006 was officially opened in a game against the England Non League team.

 

And so, 14 years after joining the Club in crisis, Rovers are matching all teams around them on the pitch, with first class facilities off it. The future looks bright and it is all down to the driving ambition and vision of one man, Trevor Horsley.