It has taken a long time to get to this point. Six years, in fact. But Nottingham Forest have now taken a major step towards redeveloping their home.
There is still a long way to go, of course. Spades are not going in the ground just yet. But the granting of full planning permission at a Rushcliffe Borough Council planning committee meeting on Thursday evening was a huge milestone for the club.
The work cannot come soon enough. Back in 2019, when the Reds first announced their plans to upgrade the City Ground, they were still in the Championship. Now, they are heading into their fourth consecutive season in the Premier League and will also compete in the UEFA Conference League when the new term begins.
They want more, too. They want to be in the Champions League. They want to regularly be competing at the top end of the Premier League table and consistently in Europe. They want to be winning trophies.
In short, Forest are ambitious on and off the pitch. And an upgraded City Ground is at the heart of that.
When talk of a potential relocation emerged last year, fans made their feelings very clear. A site in Toton had been identified as a possible option and it didn’t take long for supporters to make their voices heard.
“Toton’s a *******, I want to stay here,” they sang at one home game. Another chant was: “Stand up for the City Ground.”
Forest’s place on the banks of the Trent is integral to their identity. Their home is steeped in history.
But it also has to be one fit for a bright future. And that is why the redevelopment is so badly needed.
"We have a lot of supporters and a huge waiting list for season tickets. I'm sure a 50,000-seat stadium will be full watching our team and our passion,” owner Evangelos Marinakis said last year.
“This is very important. It is very important for the team and it is most important for the town of Nottingham. This is something I want to be able to finalise and for the years to come to have one of the best stadiums in England. This is my prime target right now."
Gloss over the 50,000-seater target for now - for the time being, at least, the focus is simply on knocking down and rebuilding the Peter Taylor Stand. The club’s broader plans do include improving the other three sides of the ground, with the overall aim to get capacity up to 40,000, but small steps and all that.
Nevertheless, Marinakis’ words are still telling. He has already ploughed a lot of money into the redevelopment process - without anything to show for it so far - and is an ambitious man. He has never shied away from what he refers to as his “big dreams” for the Reds, and those dreams include a big stadium.
Forest are on an upward curve on the pitch; they made significant progress under head coach Nuno Espirito Santo last season and will be aiming to do the same again in 2025/26. With Thursday’s momentous decision, they will hope to soon make great strides off the pitch, too.
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