A fan’s guide – the club from early doors to today
Twice winners of the European Cup, Nottingham Forest reached untold heights of success under Brian Clough. In three successive seasons in the late 1970s, Clough’s Forest won the promotion from the Second Division, became champions of England and then Europe, an achievement surely never to be repeated.
Just for good measure, Forest successfully defended their European crown in 1980, a feat only later repeated by Milan and Real Madrid.
Clough bowed out with relegation from the Premier League in 1993. Forest (never ‘Notts Forest’) then remained outside the top flight from 1999 to 2022, and unexpected promotion to the Premier League. A surprise return to Europe three years later brought back memories of the Clough era – not least when Forest played Malmö, their opponents for that first European Cup win of 1979.
Formed by local shinty players in 1865, Nottingham Forest were a multi-sports club that practised football, baseball and bandy, a winter sport once popular in England. Soccer soon took precedence. The club made the Football League in 1892, sending sets of their red shirts to Arsenal and Liverpool for these later famous teams to follow Forest’s example.
Forest stepped out of the shadow of older local rivals Notts County by winning the FA Cup in 1898, a win over Derby setting the pattern for an even bigger rivalry to be played out in the Clough years.
The next final appearance came in 1959 against Luton Town. Forest had just gained promotion to the First Division after 32 years and were about to embark on a 15-year stint in the top flight. At Wembley, two early Forest goals were followed by Roy Dwight, cousin of pop star Elton John and scorer of the first, being carried off on a stretcher.
Forest held out for victory and, with forwards Joe Baker and Ian Storey-Moore, made the semi-final in 1967, the same year that the club finished runners-up to George Best’s Manchester United in the First Division.
Weeks later, Brian Clough joined Derby County, winning the Second then First Division titles within five years of becoming manager. The same year that Clough and long-term assistant Peter Taylor won the league, 1972, Forest were relegated.
Three years later, controversial and outspoken, Clough joined Forest and, again partnered with Taylor, built a side that dwarfed their achievements at Derby. Rising from the Second Division in 1977, Clough and Taylor added goalkeeper Peter Shilton and his midfield general at Derby, Archie Gemmill, to the Forest squad and won the league at the first attempt.
Also bringing from Derby over bullish Scottish striker John O’Hare and his compatriot midfielder John McGovern, Clough made a world-class player out of John Robertson, another Scot, whose considerable skills had been wasting away at the City Ground.
Other players who blossomed under Clough included striker Tony Woodcock, full-back Viv Anderson and Kenny Burns, converted to centre-back. After defeat at grudge team Leeds in November 1977, this Forest side remained unbeaten until the end of the title-winning campaign, taking the League Cup on the way.
With the European Cup in mind, Clough then paid a British record £1 million for England international striker Trevor Francis, who repaid him by scoring the only goal in the final. Inevitably, it was a tricky run and cross from John Robertson that set up the decisive dipping header, Francis falling into the shot-putt circle in Munich’s Olympiastadion.
A year later, Robertson was again outstanding as Forest again won the trophy, scoring the only goal against Hamburg in Madrid. In the league, Forest slipped from runners-up spot in 1979 to fifth.
Despite controversial defeat to Anderlecht in the UEFA Cup semi-final of 1984, the Belgians later found to have bribed Spanish referee Emilio Guruceta Muro, Clough’s Forest continued to challenge at home with younger players such as Steve Hodge and, later, Stuart Pearce and Des Walker.
All three would star in World Cup finals for England, though the post-Heysel ban barred Forest from Europe after two League Cups and two third-placed finishes in the league. With Clough’s son Nigel and the arrival of a young Roy Keane from Cobh Ramblers, Forest reached the dramatic FA Cup final of 1991.
With Paul Gascoigne stretchered off and Forest 1-0 up early on, Spurs eventually levelled then won the trophy on a Des Walker own goal. Clough would never be in the limelight again, bowing out with relegation from the Premier League in 1993.
Managed by old boys Frank Clark then Stuart Pearce, Forest picked up briefly in the 1990s, making the UEFA Cup in 1995 – but following relegation from the Premier League in 1999, the club failed to return to England’s elite.
Off the pitch, heavy debts overshadowed Forest’s descent to the third flight. In 2012, ownership passed to the Kuwaiti Al-Hasawi family though managerial changes keep coming thick and fast. In 2017, Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis took over, just as Forest had narrowly avoided relegation to the third tier.
Over the course of nine years, the Greek shipping mogul appointed nine managers and sacked eight, but restored top-flight football to the City Ground and a return to European competition. Aitor Karanka, Martin O’Neill (along with his assistant and former Forest captain Roy Keane), Sabri Lamouchi and Chris Hughton all failed to impress Marinakis.
He also implemented crucial changes behind the scenes in summer 2021, appointing Dane Murphy as chief executive and George Syrianos as head of recruitment. Arguably the most important appointment was head coach Steve Cooper, who took over that September with the club bottom in the Championship.
Forest skyrocketed to the business end of the division, defeating Sheffield United in the play-off semi-final. Cooper’s team then secured passage to the top flight after 23 years with a 1-0 win over Huddersfield thanks to Levi Colwill’s own goal before 80,000 at Wembley. Way behind Clough in any popularity poll, Marinakis had taken Forest back to the top tier after 23 years.
Signing 21 players for their first season back, including later England cap Morgan Gibbs-White for a club record £25 million, Forest only secured top-tier status in the penultimate week with a 1-0 win over Arsenal – but Cooper would not survive the year. In December 2023, he was replaced by Nuno Espírito Santo, who had worked wonders at Midlands rivals Wolves.
His chances were severely hampered a month into his tenure when profligate Forest were charged with breaching profit and sustainability rules the previous season. Docked four points, they plummeted to the drop zone but a 2-1 win at already doomed Burnley saved the day.
Tipped by many for relegation, Forest confounded expectations by becoming the surprise package of 2024-25. Beaten only once after ten games, winning at Liverpool and drawing at Chelsea, Forest then won six on the bounce to set up an unlikely qualification for Europe.
They eventually settled for the Conference League, though only after Marinakis and his manager had nearly come to blows as Champions League football slipped out of their hands following a frantic 2-2 home draw with Leicester. A mix-up with substitutions had prompted the shipping mogul to confront his manager on the pitch at the final whistle.
As it turned out, Forest snuck into the Europa League at the expense of Crystal Palace over multi-ownership rules. The fact that Marinakis had his own pan-European portfolio grated even worse in South London.
Christening a first European campaign for 30 years with a 2-2 draw at Betis, Forest had already discharged a dispirited Espírito Santo despite his reward of a three-year contract three months before. Bringing in Ange Postecoglou, who had not long lifted the Europa League trophy with Spurs, Marinakis unsurprisingly lost patience with his compatriot after just eight games and 39 days – the second-shortest managerial stint in Premier League history.
Former Forest defender Sean Dyche was duly appointed – then lasted 114 days. By now, relegation was on the cards, the only respite being Europe, and wins over Porto, Utrecht and, stirring memories of 1979, Malmö. By February 2026, Forest became the first Premier League club to appoint four managers in a single season with the arrival of Vitor Pereira.
Sweeping aside Fenerbahçe 3-0 in Istanbul in his first game, with skipper Gibbs-White outstanding, Pereira had to lift his team after a heartbreaking last-gasp defeat to Liverpool. Following a promising draw at Manchester City, Pereira’s Forest stuffed their relegation rivals and achieved a shock away win at Chelsea to preserve elite status.
A European final even looked possible, Forest overcoming Midtjylland on penalties to reach the Europa League quarter-finals, Gibbs-White then hitting a superb strike to beat ten-man Porto at the City Ground. Dedicating his celebration to his fellow England international Elliot Anderson, missing that night, the in-form Midlander seemed destined to join the midfielder on the plane to America that summer.
Reaching a Euro semi for the first time in 42 years, Anderson drove Forest to victory against fellow former European champions Aston Villa in the first leg, though had been lucky to stay on the pitch after a shocking challenge on Ollie Watkins. Taking a 1-0 lead to a feisty Villa Park was never going to be easy, and Pereira’s men failed to halt a second-half assault.
Pereira was rewarded for his considerable efforts with a terse email dismissal. His replacement, talismanic trophy-winner at Palace Oliver Glasner, then had to organise his midfield without City-bound Anderson, whose regular performances for England at the World Cup upped his price tag to £116 million. Gibbs-White, meanwhile, watched the tournament at home.
Ground Guide
The field of dreams – and the story behind it
Lapped by the River Trent and a midwicket throw from Trent Bridge, the City Ground has been the home of Nottingham Forest since 1898. Before then, the club was based on the facing riverbank at the purpose-built Town Ground, best known for staging the first football match to use crossbars and goalnets, in 1891.
Mainly funded by club members, the City Ground was opened a year after Nottingham received its city charter, hence the name. A then record attendance of 47,800 was set in October 1957 when the East Stand was opened with the visit of Manchester United – the same opposition a decade later when 49,950 gathered.
Spurred by the unprecedented silverware won from 1978 onwards, and the hosting of three group matches at Euro 96, the City Ground saw the development of the Executive (now Brian Clough) Stand then Bridgford Stand at one end. Away fans are usually allocated this lower tier (blocks W, X1, X2 and Y1), and adjoining Block T in the Brian Clough Stand if needed. Three sets of entrance gates (T49-50, T51-53, T54-56) are allocated to visiting supporters.
The home Trent End was rebuilt for Euro 96, and three games involving Portugal, Croatia, Denmark and Turkey.
Current capacity is 31,000. The club has long been working on an expansion of the main Peter Taylor Stand, having already spent several million. Given this outlay, and the fact that club owner Evangelos Marinakis has long doubled down on building a future at the current site, a proposed move from this riverside location has almost certainly been consigned to history.
A new safe standing area installed between the Trent End and the Brian Clough Stand, HD screens and hospitality suites complemented a bright makeover as Premier League football returned to the City Ground in 2022.
What comes next should be radical expansions of three stands to bring overall capacity to 45,000, then 52,000, pencilled in for 2031 and 2033.
getting here
Going to the ground – tips and timings
The stadium is a 15-20min walk from Nottingham train station – head for London Road, which forms the bridge over the railtracks then follows the river south away from the city centre. To your left you’ll see the floodlights of Meadow Lane. Keeping Notts County’s stadium to your left, London Road runs into Trent Bridge – the City Ground is tucked away to the left on the opposite bank.
The city centre is a longer walk to and from the ground.
Several Trentbarton Green Line buses run from the Victoria shopping centre in town to Trent Bridge cricket ground, via Nottingham bus station at Broad Marsh and train station. Buses 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 set off regularly from stop W4 by Lloyds Bank, via stop S7 near the train station then onto the Cricket Ground. Bus 11 (every 12-15mins, every 30mins Sun), sets off from stop W3 by Poundland, via stop S1 near the station, alighting at Fox Road, slightly closer to the City Ground. Bus 10 also sets off from stop W3, alighting at County Hall a short walk from the Forest ground.
The sat nav code for the City Ground is NG2 5FJ. There is little parking around the ground – the nearest option are the 55 spaces available (£5) at The Embankment (NG2 2GR), 282-284 Arkwright Street, just over the bridge from the ground. Alternatively, the car park on Queen’s Road at the train station is multi-storey, with 500+ spaces at £5 for the day.
getting in
Buying tickets – when, where, how and how much
With near full capacity of 30,404 registered for league games in 2025-26, expansion of the City Ground cannot come quickly enough for Nottingham Forest.
MyForest Core membership (adult & international £45 + £4.99, discounted £30-£40 + £4.99 including 18-21s) provides holders with third priority on ticket sales for home league games, a discount on tickets for home cup games and access to the club’s ticket exchange scheme, often the best way to purchase admission. Upwards of 1,000 seats are usually exchanged for every home league game.
Tickets for upcoming games are otherwise purchased online. Applications begin roughly four weeks before each fixture. MyForest Core members can apply from 10am on the third day of the ballot, after Pro and Plus members have had their chance on the previous two days. (Pro and Plus memberships can only be arranged from a previous upgrade or on an invite-only basis.)
Prices range from £50-£70 for league games, cup games and friendlies usually cheaper. Discounted tickets now include a young adult category for 18-21s.
For all enquiries, contact tickets@nottinghamforest.co.uk or 0115 982 4388 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). The main ticket office at the ground is open for in-person enquiries from 9am on all home match days, apart from later Saturday and Sunday kick-off times, when it’s noon. Away supporters can pick up their tickets and make enquiries at the visitors’ ticket office behind the Bridgford Stand, open from 90mins before kick-off until half-time.
Hospitality packages start at £279 (under-14s £180) in the Trentside Lounge with a hot buffet and pay bar. Sought-after spots are in The Vault (£660) with pitch-side access.
what to buy
Shirts, kits, merchandise and gifts
The Forest Megastore (Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm, plus match nights open up to 45mins after the final whislte) is a large, imaginatively decorated outlet just inside the main gates. There’s also an outlet in town at the Nottingham Tourism & Travel Centre, 1-4 Smithy Row (Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-4pm).
The home shirt for 2026-27 features a V-neck collar, with white detailing only used for the club badge and adidas branding over the shoulders and on the chest. The solid red is otherwise offset by patches – that’s the mist rising off the river Trent, by the way, not sweat stains. Goalkeepers kits come in light-blue and orange varieties.
Among the retro shirts are replicas of tops from 1959, 1960 and, of course, 1979 and 1980. Whether a sloth is an appropriate choice of furry animal among the various dinosaurs is open to question but the Forest Monopoly set should keep the family entertained during the holidays.
You’ll also find rare Forest programmes at the MSR newsagents (Mon-Sat 9am-4pm) at 1A Radcliffe Road near the City Ground.
stadium TOURS & museum
Explore club history and the City Ground
Stadium tours and the Nottingham Forest Museum (£25, over-65s £20, under-18s £15, discounts for members) comes as a package, available most days of the week (not match days) from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Tours and museum visits take about 90mins, with an hour allowed for a behind-the-scenes look around the ground.
Starting from the Megastore, visitors are shown round by a knowledgeable guide, taking in the press area, dressing rooms, boardroom and the players’ tunnel leading to the touchline.
Trophies on display in the museum include those two European Cups, alongside Forest shirts down the ages and that iconic green sweatshirt worn by Brian Clough. A film history of the club plays in the immersive screening room.
John McGovern, Garry Birtles and Nigel Jemson are among the Forest old boys who take visitors round on the Legends Tours, usually scheduled during the school holidays. These run for two hours, with plenty of time for photo opportunities and autographs.
Where to Drink
Pre-match beers for fans and casual visitors
Given the proximity of Trent Bridge and Meadow Lane, there are plenty of drinking options on either bank of the river – but on match days those nearest the City Ground are strictly Forest-only.
These include the Trent Bridge Inn by the cricket ground, with a history dating back to the 1800s but now a Wetherspoons showing TV sport and offering meal deals. Across Radcliffe road, a little more upscale with waterside views, the Waterside Bar & Kitchen puts the focus on brunch and contemporary cocktails but also serves Peroni and Erdinger to sensible visitors.
Right opposite the City Ground, The Boot Room ticks the boxes that the former Southbank Bar used to, an excellent bar/eatery welcoming of all-comers, with 12 big HD screens and also buzzing on non-match days.
Occasional match days sees a family-friendly Fanzone set up by the ground, match-ticket holders treated to games, entertainment and pre-game pints.
Away fans are generally advised to use bars by Meadow Lane, such as event venue The Nest if it’s free that day, or the excellent Navigation Inn. See Notts County for more details.
