Forest Green chairman Dale Vince believes football is finally waking up to the climate crisis ahead of clubs embracing the latest Green Football Weekend campaign.

Green Football Weekend has returned for a second consecutive year with supporters encouraged to try a vegetarian option instead of a meat dish at football grounds this week where a number of activities will take place.

Arsenal and Liverpool will host a veggie lunch for fans ahead of Sunday’s clash at the Emirates, while Crystal Palace ditched plastic cups for paper beer cups for Tuesday’s home fixture with Sheffield United and West Ham hosted a veggie bake-off.

Other Premier League, Football League and Women’s Super League clubs will highlight the impact of food on climate change with vegetarian and vegan meals typically producing a lower carbon footprint than meat options.

“More than 80 clubs have signed up to it this year and that’s the whole top four flights of English football,” Vince, owner of all-vegan club Forest Green, told the PA news agency.

“I think you look at the level of participation, you’ve got to say football is waking up to this and taking part. I like that.

“That’s what it is all about (awareness). It will be all over Sky Sports and TNT,  they will go big on it and it puts it in people’s faces, which is what we did at Forest Green.

“What is really surprising is when you put it in front of people with some simple information about what the problems are and what they can do about it, they do something about it!

“The message here is about food. If we just eat less animals and eat more plants, we can make a huge difference.

“I am a big believer in the power of football to get the message across and get people to change how they live because we’ve seen it at Forest Green.”

Ahead of Green Football Weekend, a study by the University of Leeds showed switching to a veggie burger over a meat alternative for one weekend could save the same amount of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (4,622,998kg) as taking 2,609 cars off the road for a whole year.

It could also save the equivalent of 1,316 football pitches through a reduction in land and water use impacts.

The initiative, which is supported by the EFL, WSL, Football Association and Professional Footballers’ Association, has also launched its Green Football Cup where fans from more than 80 clubs can score goals through simple climate-friendly action.

Goals can be earned by downloading a Veggie Cookbook – that contains recipes from Raheem Sterling and James Ward-Prowse – or by using the AI Veggie Meal Generator as well as registering through the website examples of ditching the car for a walk.

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Ex-England international Joe Cole was on hand to support the Green Football Weekend launch at Wembley last month after he tried a plant-based diet towards the end of his playing career.

Cole told PA: “If you cut down here, cut down there, walk to work, there are loads of things and this is a small part of people being informed to understand the affect we have.

“If everyone does their little bit, then hopefully the next generation will be better than us.”

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley hailed his side’s determination after a 3-0 win against struggling Forest Green Rovers set up a third-round FA Cup clash with Nottingham Forest.

The Seasiders were without several players in the rescheduled fixture, with Kylian Kouassi and Shayne Lavery among those sidelined through injury.

Thanks to goals from Owen Dale in the first half and Jordan Gabriel and Marvin Ekpiteta in the second, Blackpool cruised to victory at Bloomfield Road.

Critchley hoped for better injury fortune over the festive period as his side prepare to face Bristol Rovers.

He said: “We had to work hard for it until the last 15 minutes. I always felt we were the dominant team, we were comfortable.

“But whilst it’s 1-0, you’re always mindful of them getting a breakaway or set-piece or something.

“Until we got the second goal, although we were pretty dominant, you’re never quite sure that you’re going to win the game.

“Hopefully we have a clean bill of health and we can move on to Bristol Rovers on Saturday now.

“You look across the team, some players haven’t played for a bit so it’s not going to be easy. There was an element of risk doing that – a calculated one but the players equipped themselves well and we’re into the next round.”

The Seasiders dominated for much of the game against their League Two opponents, as David Horseman’s second-half triple substitution did little to trouble Blackpool’s defence.

Horseman admitted goalkeeper Luke Daniels’ 18th-minute error made it an “uphill battle” after Dale pounced on a loose ball to tap home for the first.

He insisted 3-0 was a flattering scoreline for Blackpool and rued soft goals that led to their second-round exit.

He said: “They were bigger, quicker and stronger all over the pitch and won every duel.

“We were OK and organised. Luke hasn’t had many saves to make, but to give the first goal away makes it an uphill challenge.

“The second one is a 60-yard ball diagonal from the wide man that splits two players and goes through and at the end it’s a free header. We gave away three really soft goals.

“It’s a marker we need to do much better.

“The goals were really bad individual errors. We knew when we made the changes and bring the boys on, we give the second goal away.

“The three goals were really, really bad. The 3-0 I think flatters them, they deserved to win but it flatters them. It leaves a really bad taste.”

Hannah Dingley's appointment by Forest Green Rovers has been applauded by Ellen White and Demi Stokes, with the England greats hopeful it leads to further chances for female coaches.

The League Two club promoted Dingley from her role as academy boss to caretaker head coach earlier this month, following Duncan Ferguson's dismissal.

In taking the reins at The New Lawn, Dingley has become the first woman to lead a men's senior team in English football's top four divisions.

Speaking at the launch of Pixel FC, a collective of dedicated women's football creators helping to close the visibility gap within women's football, both White and Stokes hailed the decision to appoint her.

"I think it's really exciting," White said. "It's something that everyone's been speaking about before, but I'm really excited to see a female in the men's game being a manager.

"It's really inspiring and hopefully, she does amazingly. I'm really excited to see, hopefully, more opportunities now available for women in the men's game."

White and Stokes, both members of England's Euro 2022-winning squad, outlined their hopes that Dingley's appointment will normalise pathways for women in the men's game.

"I think it's just all about visibility and [being] given an opportunity, I think that's the main thing," White added. 

"There are so many opportunities in sport for women now and hopefully, we can continue to break down barriers.

"For it not to be something that's alien or something that's very minimal [would be great]. I think it should be something that's seen and heard and visible, and that's what I'm excited to see in the future."

Stokes echoed her former team-mate's sentiments, adding: "I love it. I think it's fantastic. I think that's what you want. It should be the norm. It shouldn't be, 'oh, a female has taken over a men's side'.

"It should just be, 'this is the new manager and she is a female'. I think, male or female, as long as you're good enough for the job, then it doesn't matter who you are."

Dingley took charge of her first game on July 5, a 1-1 friendly draw with Melksham Town, and could still be in charge for Rovers' League Two opener against Salford City next month.

Forest Green Rovers expressed they are "disappointed" with Rob Edwards and Watford after confirming their head coach was leaving the club.

Edwards led Forest Green to the League Two title this season, winning 23 games as they finished above Exeter City on goal difference.

However, Edwards will not be in charge of Rovers in League One next term, after it was confirmed he is departing.

He is widely expected to replace Roy Hodgson at Watford, whose short spell at Vicarage Road will come to an end at the culmination of the Premier League season.

Watford's relegation back to the Championship was confirmed last week after a 1-0 defeat to Hodgson's former side Crystal Palace. 

A statement issued on Forest Green's official website read: "FGR confirms the departure of head coach Rob Edwards. Rob was a key part of the team that gained promotion to League One this season.

"We're disappointed that our support, loyalty and honesty towards Rob has been repaid in this way – with negotiations taking place behind our backs. We had no contact from Watford, from whom we might expect less, but in any event this kind of behaviour gives football a bad name.

"We thank Rob for all his work at FGR – forgive him the manner of his departure and wish him well."