English club set to bamboo-zle fans

High-flying English fourth tier side Forest Green Rovers are to wear bamboo shin pads, furthering their claims to be the world’s greenest football club, they announced yesterday. Forest Green -- whose environmental credentials have been recognised by FIFA and the United Nations -- had already become the first team to switch to bamboo kit at the beginning of the season. The club, presently second in League Two, are working with a US manufacturer of eco-friendly products on the bamboo shin pads. “Forest Green Rovers are the first professional club to switch to bamboo shin pads -- moving away from current products made largely from plastic,” the club said in a statement. “The low-profile shin pads are impact resistant and are anti-microbial.” Forest Green chairman Dale Vince said bamboo was an ideal material for shin pads. “Bamboo is a natural wonder, a sustainable material that’s ridiculously strong and ultra-lightweight, making it perfect for shin pads as well as better for the planet and for our players,” he said.                                                                                                                                                                                       – – ­Afp