Nottingham Forest home rejig plans catch pace

Image: Nottingham Forest

The Premier League team Nottingham Forest F.C. (UK) are said to have their eye on a new training ground as the owner Evangelos Marinakis targets further improvements at the club.

‘NottinghamshireLive’ stated that ‘The Reds’ are currently based at the Nigel Doughty Academy in West Bridgford in Nottingham, UK. But, according to sources, a new headquarter is in the works.

The Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, England (UK). The team compete in the Premier League, the first level of the English football league system. Founded in 1865, the Forest has played their home games at the City Ground since 1898.

The City Ground is a football stadium in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England (UK), on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to the Nottingham Forest F.C. since 1898 and has a capacity of 30,455.

‘NottinghamshireLive’ further stated that it is said a number of potential sites have been considered. An official announcement could be made in the coming weeks.

Observed Tom Cartledge, Chairman, Nottingham Forest F.C., “There is a recognition that our existing facilities are too small and incapable of accommodating, as one, the women’s team (Nottingham Forest Women F.C.), the academy and what the Premier League expectations are for the first team. A piece of land has been identified which will accommodate everyone and help us attract talent, not just at the first-team level. Kids will be coming to a place that is ambitious and has all the best facilities. It’s another ambition of the ownership: To treat the players and the future talent of the club in the best possible way.”

The above comes as Forest are also said to want to increase the City Ground capacity to 40,000 as part of Marinakis’ vision for the club. That would come from extending the Bridgford Stand to incorporate an additional 5,000 seats to go with the 10,000 planned for the Peter Taylor Stand.

Knocking down and rebuilding the Peter Taylor Stand was a central part of ‘The Reds’ plans when they first announced a multimillion project to overhaul their stadium almost five years ago. That transformation is yet to start, amid various challenges and obstacles to overcome. However, Cartledge recently said plans were “progressing at pace”.

When the project was originally unveiled in 2019, the designs involved increasing the capacity to roughly 38,000. The redevelopment of the Peter Taylor Stand was seen as Phase One of the scheme, with an extension for the Bridgford Stand also planned.

In the meantime, various improvements have been made to both the stadium and the training ground. And recently, a crane and contractors were seen at the ground as the club started doing the necessary groundwork in the hope that planning permission may soon be granted to erect hospitality pods.

Documents were submitted to the Rushcliffe Borough Council last year to add two new temporary hospitality areas made out of modified shipping containers at the corners of the Trent End, with Forest taking their inspiration from Stadium 974 at the Qatar World Cup.

The 44,089-capacity Stadium 974 was a football stadium which opened on November 30^th, 2021, and was made from 974 recycled shipping containers that hosted matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ held in Qatar, after which dismantlement began. It was the first temporary venue in the FIFA World Cup™ history.

Marinakis would “ideally” like to have the new training ground and the two redeveloped stands completed by the end of 2027.

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