In a story that reads like Forest Green Rovers in a parallel universe, reports are emerging from Japan of a plan which could see Dale Vince's ambition to build the world's first all-wooden football stadium being pipped at the timber post.

Since it was first mooted by Stroud-based green energy firm Ecotricity, the owner of Forest Green Rovers, all the way back in 2016, fans (albeit not all with unbridled enthusiasm) have been playing a protracted waiting game for the first kick off beneath the majestic beams of Eco Park.

The club's promised wooden stadium, designed by feted arena architects Zaha Hadid, is now in the preliminaries of construction, but by conservative estimates the turnstiles won't be clicking until 2028, a date obliquely confirmed by club owner Dale Vince in his latest interview with Punchline-Gloucester.com in August.

Amid that wait and against a backdrop of planning frustrations which at times have triggered claims of bloody-minded bureaucracy, reports emerged this week that Fukushima, as no stranger to reports of earthquakes, could be the epicentre for a new tremor through the architectural world by stealing an expected world-first accolade for the headline Gloucestershire project.

Conceived by Japanese architecture practice VUILD, the first renders of a plan have been made public which showcase a two-tier 5,000-seat venue, that number being poignantly the same as per Eco Park's spec, although the latter is designed to potentially double its capacity given seating flexibility.

VUILD said its project, which includes a built-in hotel (Eco Park planning a separate standalone facility) will become the home of Fukushima United FC (FUFC).

The club currently sit in eighth position in the J3 League, Japan's third tier of professional football and its existing home's capacity is for 21,000 fans – so the new home plan suggests it is seeking to significantly downsize. Latest season attendance data does, as proof that the issue isn't purely a headache for the UK's favourite sport, substantiate such a move: matches in the current 2025 season have, on average, been generating a modest 2,669 tickets.

According to reports in Japan, FUFC's ambition is to build this succinct 12,000 sqm stadium as a "symbol of hope and regeneration" for a region that is still overshadowed by the 2011 earthquake and consequent nuclear disaster. The ambition will literally not be so lofty, however, as Gloucestershire's: FUFC's stadium plans a height of 16 metres, while Eco Park aspires to be 19.5 at its tallest point.

Elsewhere, head-to-head stats may make interesting reading for global groundhoppers: while Eco Park, at 150m long and 128m wide, will describe an oval, Fukushima's venue intends to be circular.

In further key differences, Fukushima's the stadium will also be built to be re-used with each component put together with easy deconstruction in mind. The build plan itself also underlines a deep community ethic: process aims to involve a "communal assembly" plan, reliant upon the skills of local people, with fans with know-how being invited to join in the build.

Footnote details, however, carry uncanny echoes of FGR's approach to the sport: rainwater collection and reuse will be a priority to boost sustainability while both stadiums boast geometry designed to keep visitors cool in the summer and sheltered against prevailing winds in the winter.

Facilities at ground level for the Japanese stadium will also include players' areas and storage, while VIP areas, skyboxes and media areas are detailed to be sited above. The arena will also incorporate hotel accommodation within its upper floor.

● Punchline-Gloucester.com has approached Forest Green Rovers for comment.