Nottingham Forest are to take on Birmingham City in a friendly to honour the late Trevor Francis.
The Reds will make the trip to St Andrew’s on Saturday, August 2 (3pm kick-off) for the Trevor Francis Memorial Match. The game will form part of Forest’s preparations for the 2025/26 campaign, which kicks off on August 16.
Francis made the move to Forest from the Blues in 1979 after nine years at the club to become Britain’s first £1 million player.
Announcing the match, Forest said: “Nottingham Forest can confirm it will face Birmingham City in a pre-season fixture this summer to honour the late Trevor Francis. As part of the preparations for the new campaign, Forest’s pre-season will include a short trip to St Andrew’s on Saturday 2nd August to face the newly promoted Blues.
“The Trevor Francis Memorial Match aptly involves the two teams that agreed a transfer fee that will be forever remembered, with the Englishman becoming Britain’s first ‘million-pound player’ following his move to the Reds.”
Francis wrote his name into Forest history by scoring the only goal of the game in the 1979 European Cup final against Malmo. He died two years ago, in July 2023, at the age of 69.
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Forest added: “Two years after his passing, the day in August will start with a series of celebrations from 1pm to commemorate his life, which will include the unveiling of a statue in his honour at St. Andrew's. The game will kick-off at 3pm, with the Championship side going head-to-head with Nuno’s Forest just a few weeks before the league campaign gets underway. Details on ticketing and streaming will be released in due course.”
Francis left Forest in 1981. He went on to play for Manchester City, Sampdoria, Atalanta, Rangers, QPR, Wollongong City and Sheffield Wednesday.
The match is the first friendly Forest have announced for their pre-season plans. Their Premier League season will kick off at home to Brentford on August 16.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side will be eager to continue on an upward curve next term. They finished seventh in the Premier League last season to earn their place in the UEFA Conference League.
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