The City Ground: Nottingham Forest
By Lasse1974 (Own work) [GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
There is an argument that Nottingham Forest were one of the most famous clubs outside of the Premier League (before they got promoted). They are one of a select few English clubs that have won the European Cup, for example. The success that they have enjoyed over the years has pretty much all been achieved at The City Ground, the stadium that Forest have called home since it opened in 1898. Before that they lived a somewhat nomadic existence, spending time at no less than six different grounds over thirty-three years.
They moved to The City Ground in September of 1898, with the new stadium located not far from the old Town Ground and opposite Trent Bridge. The name of the stadium was given as a reflection of Nottingham’s newly achieved city status. To begin with it was nothing more than a pitch with just one stand at the end, exposed to the public – and the elements – on the other three. Stands were built over the years, of course, and in 1968 The Main Stand caught fire during a game between Forest and Leeds United. Although much of the club’s memorabilia was destroyed not one person from the 31,126 capacity crowd was injured.
Stats
| The City Ground Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1898 |
| Capacity | 30404 |
| Average Attendance | 29386 |
| Record Attendance | 49946 (Notts Forest v Man United (1967)) |
| Pitch Size | 105 x 71 (7455) |
| Owner | Nottingham Forest |
| Clubs Hosted | Nottingham Forest Football Club |
| First Fixture | Nottingham Forest v Blackburn Rovers (03/09/1898) |
| Nottingham Forest Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1865 |
| Nickname | Forest |
| Club Mascot | Sherwood Bear |
| Rivals | Notts County, Derby, Sheffield United |
| Previous Stadiums | The Forest, Castle Ground, The Meadows, Trent Bridge, Parkside Ground, Gregory Ground, Town Ground |
| Kit | Red (Home) / Blue & White Waves (Away) |
| Training Ground | Wilford Lane |
| Shirt Sponsor | Kaiyun Sports |
| Team Owner | Evangelos Marinakis |
| Record Goalscorer | Grenville Morris (217) |
| Record Appearances | Bob McKinlay (685) |
The City Ground Photos
Steve Daniels [CC BY-SA 2.0]
Arne Müseler / www.arne-mueseler.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons
The City Ground Seating Plan and Where to Sit
The City Ground is slightly unusual compared to most grounds built at the turn of the last century. It is partly a classical ‘English Style’ stadium and partly a ‘Bowl Style’ ground, with the bowl shape linking The Brian Clough Stand to The Main Stand. Here’s a description of each section:
- The Brian Clough Stand – Named after the club’s most famous manager, this stand was built in 1980 and cost £2 million. It runs along the side of the pitch and has two-tiers that are divided by a row of executive boxes.
- The Bridgford Stand – This stand was rebuilt in the 1992-1993 season and has an unusual look to it because the local council required the roof to dip in order to allow natural light to reach nearby houses. This is the stand that the away supporters are normally located in.
- The Peter Taylor Stand – The old Main Stand running opposite the Brian Clough stand, this was redeveloped and renamed in 2020/2021 and houses the club museum and shop as well as three tiers of seating.
- The Trent End Stand – This stand is so named because it is the closest to the nearby River Trent. It was re-built before the ground was used to host matches for Euro ’96 and has two-tiers that are divided by a row of executive boxes.
Nottingham Forest Ticket Prices
Tickets for Nottingham Forest matches vary as the season goes on, though at the time of writing adults will pay at least £25 and at most £40. The prices are released around three weeks before the fixtures, so check around that far in advance of when you’re hoping to go.
Why they don’t just have set prices readily available for all to see is a mystery.
How To Get Nottingham Forest Tickets
Buying tickets for Forest games is nice and straightforward even if finding out the cost isn’t. The best way is to go to the club’s official website. If you find buying things online a little impersonal or don’t trust websites then you can also pick up tickets in person at the club’s ticket office or by calling the ticket hotline.
Where to Buy
Getting To The City Ground
Nottingham is in the East Midlands, so it’s reasonably easy to access from both the North and the South. Here are some of the more conventional routes you’ll doubtless consider for your journey:
Train – The City Ground is just one mile from the centre of Nottingham, so if you want to get the train it won’t take you too long to walk to the stadium. Nottingham Train Station is easily reachable from pretty much any mainline station in the country, though you may need to change trains if you’re coming from somewhere weird.
Bus – There are a number of buses that run from Nottingham city centre out to The City Ground, stopping at the McDonalds to the South of the stadium, the Victoria Embankment and the County Hall.
Car – From the North take the M1 to Junction 26 and get onto the A610 before getting onto the A6514 and then the A6011 before following the signs. From the South you’ll leave the M1 at Junction 24 and follow the A453, the A52 and the A6011, again looking out for the signs. From the East take the A46 or A52 then follow the instructions from the South. Finally from the West get on the A/M42 to the A50, the A453, the A52 and the A6011 and follow the signs.
By Air – East Midlands is the nearest airport to The City Ground and is found about thirteen miles to the South-West of Nottingham city centre. The Skylink bus will take you to Trent Bridge, which is right next to Forest’s home stadium.
Taxi – A taxi from Nottingham city centre out to The City Ground will take about ten minutes and cost the same number of pounds. If you get caught in traffic, which isn’t out of the realms of the possible on a match day, then it will take a bit longer and cost more accordingly.
Parking Near The City Ground
Parking at the ground itself is limited, so you might be better off looking at the club’s approved car parks. These include Notts County’s ground Meadow Lane, the Victoria Embankment or County Hall.
Useful Resources
- Parking - Just Park
The City Ground Hotels
Nottingham is an ever-expanding and ever-advancing city, so your hotel options are numerous and excellent. Here are some of our choices:
Leonardo Hotel - £55+
ibis Nottingham Centre - £75+
Park Plaza Nottingham - £90+
Pubs and Bars Near The City Ground
Nottingham is a student city, so there are loads of brilliant pubs and clubs around to inspire your pre-match drinking and eating needs. Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem as an absolutely incredible pub built into the side of a hill, but it’s nowhere near the ground sadly. Here are some of the more convenient choices:
Brewhouse and Kitchen
Hooters
Raglan Road Irish Bar
Facilities
Given that the majority of the stadium was re-built in the ‘80s and ‘90s The City Ground isn’t as bad as it could be, but it’s still rather tired. That said, there are plenty of places on the concourses to buy a drink or a bite to eat, like a pie or a sausage roll.
Prices
- Programme: £3
- Pie: £3.3
- Cup of tea: £2.2
- Beer: £5.2
Hospitality
As with most stadiums in the top two tiers of English football there are plenty of hospitality options at The City Ground. Here are some of the choices available to you:
- The 1865 Club – Here you’ll get access to a private members’ bar and bistro, with the opportunity to purchase drinks and food before the game. Your time there will be hosted by a club legend and you’ll also enjoy padded seating on the half-way line.
- The Robin Hood Suite – Named after one of Nottingham’s most famous sons – though he never played for Forest – The Robin Hood Suite offers a two-course meal, access to a pay bar, a pre-match interview with a former player and seating in The Peter Taylor Stand.
- Legends Lounge – This package combines true passion with a welcoming atmosphere, and allows fans to really immerse themselves in the experience. With team legends hosting and the option to buy food and drink you can plan your day however you like, before taking your seats in the viewing gallery in the Trent End.
Private Hire
The City Ground boasts some of the most versatile suites in the East Midlands. It’s an ideal location for business meetings, seminars, conferences and exhibitions. With a number of executive suites you’ll be able to host anything from a dinner dance to a product launch there. You’ve also got the option to have your wedding there, should you and your future spouse be huge Forest fans.
Stadium Tours & Museum
You can go behind-the-scenes of Nottingham Forest’s home ground for £25 if you’re an adult, £20 for concessions, and £15 for under 18s. All tickets are £5 cheaper for season ticket holders or club members.
The tours are led by expert guides, and they take in all of the locations you’d expect of an exclusive tour. There are no set dates or times of tours, they are different each month, so make sure you check their website and plan ahead rather than turning up on spec.
They launched a new museum in 2023 which is included as part of the tour too, so there is a lot to see a The City Ground if you decide to visit.
About Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club was founded in 1865 and were one of the original members of the Football Alliance which formed in 1889. They joined the Football League in 1892 and even though they won the FA Cup in 1898 and 1959 they didn’t enjoy their most successful period until Brian Clough took over as manager in 1975. During Clough’s reign they won the league, won back to back European Cups and won the League Cup four times. It’s little wonder that the fans still hold Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor in such high esteem!
Clough’s tenure at Forest lasted for eighteen years but came to an end when they were relegated from the Premier League in its inaugural season. He was replaced by Frank Clark who was able to help them return to the Premier League for the 1993-1994 season when they finished third. He was released in December of 1996 when it became clear that the club was involved in a relegation battle. He was replaced by Stuart Pearce as the club’s player-manager. Forest yo-yoed between the top two divisions before finally succumbing to their debt, earned by spending so much on players to keep them in the top-tier but failing to achieve their aim.
For a long time there were one of the biggest clubs to be in existence outside of the Premier League, but managed to gain promotion for the 22/23 season and avoid being relegated, finishing 16th. This marked their longest stay in the top flight since the mid 90s.
The City Ground History
Though the ground is obviously best known as the home stadium of Nottingham Forest, it has also hosted international fixtures and was one of the main grounds used during the 1996 European Championships. The City Ground hosted three different Group D matches, with Croatia beating Turkey 1-0, Turkey then losing to Portugal by the same scoreline and Portugal beating Croatia 3-0. It has also hosted the final of the Women’s FA Cup as well as the semi-final of the rugby Heineken Cup and a music concert featuring REM.
When The City Ground was closed in the wake of the fire in 1968 Forest played six of their ‘home’ fixtures at nearby Meadow Lane, the ground that belongs to the club’s fierce city rivals Notts County. Though County were, of course, happy to help their neighbours in their time of need, knowing that football is ultimately just a game, they were probably quite delighted to see Forest fail to win any of their games there.
Future Developments
In 2007 Nottingham Forest made it clear that they planned to leave The City Ground in favour of a new stadium that would be suitable as a location for World Cup matches, should England win their bid to host the competition that year or in 2022. When it was announced that Russia and Qatar had won the rights to host those tournaments the plans to move were shelved.
The club instead completed negotiations to develop the Main Stand (Peter Taylor Stan) at a cost of £100 million, adding an additional 5,000 seats and making it the biggest stadium in the East Midlands. The new stand includes a museum, club shop, and hospitality suites. Improvements are also planned for the other three stands, with the hope to increase capacity to 40,000 eventually, but Forest have long been frustrated by red tape from the council, and negotiations are ongoing.