Forest Green Rovers announce Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja as first Artistic Director
Known to many as 3D he joins chairman, Dale Vince and Arsenal footballer, Hector Bellerin as one of FGR’s main investors
Gloucestershire-based all-vegan football club Forest Green Rovers have announced Robert Del Naja will join them as their first Artistic Director.
Known to many as 3D – he joins chairman, Dale Vince and Arsenal footballer, Hector Bellerin as one of FGR’s main investors. The club became the world’s first vegan football club in 2015 and went carbon neutral in 2017.
Rob met Dale when Massive Attack were planning their exemplar zero carbon gig in Liverpool with Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research last year – intended as a blueprint for the future of sustainable gigs and tours. The event is on-hold until coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
At FGR, Del Naja – a lifelong S.S.C Napoli and Bristol City fan will work with club chairman Dale Vince and the team to raise awareness of its environmental and ethical agenda – and work on new ways of engaging with football’s global fanbase.
Dale Vince, Chairman, Forest Green Rovers, said: “We like to work at the edge, pushing the boundaries and exploring new ways to do things. Having an artistic director is something entirely new for football. We really don’t know what will come from it and that’s part of the excitement.
"I’m a fan of Rob’s work, it’s engaging, innovative and climate focused - a perfect combo. This is great new direction for FGR and, give it a few more years - for football more generally.”
Robert Del Naja, Artistic Director, Forest Green Rovers, added: “Football has a fan engagement issue and I got really interested in Dale’s work at the club when I saw how FGR was communicating about climate change to a huge global audience – there’s no other team in the game doing this.
"We’re already plotting our first moves, and I’ll be doing all I can to raise awareness and spread the message that there’s another way to do things.”