Nottingham Forest 'considering' major change to the City Ground as chairman speaks out

A general view of the Bridgford stand

Nottingham Forest are considering becoming the next Premier League club to introduce a safe-standing area to the City Ground, it has been claimed.

Clubs such as Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Luton Town, Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United already have such sections for supporters. Back in 2021, the government agreed clubs in the Premier League and Championship would be able to offer licensed standing areas from January 1 2022 as part of a pilot programme.

According to The Athletic, Forest are exploring the possibility of becoming the next club in the top flight to introduce safe-standing. Talks are being held internally at the club, with the lower tier of the Bridgford Stand one of the areas under consideration.

Forest chairman Tom Cartledge has described the club’s position as “pro-safe standing” while indicating that changes could be introduced later this year. “We are working with FAB and SAG on where is the optimum place, not just for next season but going forward,” Cartledge told the Athletic.

The club also intend to replace the Peter Taylor Stand as well as improving the roof of the Bridgford Stand and add more seats to increase the stadium’s capacity to 40,000. Another area being under consideration for a rail-seat development is the corner of the Peter Taylor Stand, near to the Bridgford Stand.

With that said, the club would have to weigh up whether it’s worth the substantial cost of changing this section, given the stand could potentially be knocked down within a year.

Owner Evangelos Marinakis is prepared to fund the new-look City Ground which is said to be finished by the end of 2027. But the stadium redevelopment is dependent on Forest settling an issue with Nottingham City Council, which owns the land the stadium sits on.

The lease would have to be extended or the council would have to allow the club to buy the freehold. Forest are understood to pay £250,000 a year under the terms of a 50-year lease, signed off in 2011, but the council are claimed to want almost quadruple that before committing to a longer agreement.

After the council issued a section 114 notice in November, declaring itself bankrupt, talks have reached an impasse.

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