The City Ground redevelopment plans are rumbling on in the background of Nottingham Forest’s remarkable Premier League season, with fresh updates on hand every week.
Most recently, Forest admitted that work on the Peter Taylor Stand could start next season, a surprise given that all indications were that anything major would be delayed until the following campaign.
The City Ground redevelopment was due for summer 2026 after news broke of the England men’s team playing there at the end of this season, but the potential for work on the Peter Taylor Stand to begin before this date has turned a level of certainty into slight confusion.
In fairness to Evangelos Marinakis, the delay to the City Ground work has seen the prices rise, so it makes sense to see a potential rush to get started, but the project must be dealt with carefully to maintain the historical grandeur of Forest’s home, something always understood by Steve Cooper.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Steve Cooper understood the importance of the City Ground as Nottingham Forest manager
When Cooper was sacked by Forest at the end of 2023, it felt like the end of an era, as the manager had become a modern Forest legend after being the one to finally secure promotion back to the Premier League.
Nuno Espirito Santo has come in and improved on Cooper’s work but there will always be an appreciation from Reds fans for the past, with the City Ground at the heart of this sentiment.
In his final season at Forest, Cooper managed his team during the 125th anniversary of the famous stadium and in a special report by The Athletic, the Welshman understood it’s importance.
He said: “The place oozes football soul. As soon as you walk through the door, you can feel the history of everything that has come before. You know, very quickly, that the City Ground is a special place”
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The club itself also produced a tribute to the City Ground on YouTube, in which Cooper shared his favourite memory at the time.
He said: “I remember when we went 2-0 up against Derby in the Championship in the promotion year, and it was the only time really where I just lost track of the game for a split second because I just thought, oh my god this atmosphere!
“I just remember the whole crowd singing ‘Forest are magic’ and I think everyone was stood up […] I just really remember that, but listen, that’s been repeated every game since, really.”
Memories like Steve Cooper’s must be preserved in the City Ground’s redevelopment
Marinakis is planning to increase the City Ground capacity to 50,000, which would be an increase of 20,000 Reds fans on match day. This is obviously a good thing, but nothing must be done that could negatively impact the atmosphere at the stadium.
When Forest fans sing Mull of Kintyre before kick-off, the noise created eclipses that of a Premier League stadium with double the capacity, highlighting that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better when it comes to football grounds.
Espirito Santo has hailed the City Ground atmosphere this season, as strong home form has been one of the driving forces behind Forest’s push for Champions League football. As long as a potential rush into redevelopment doesn’t lead to oversights in maintaining this atmosphere then Reds fans will support it.
Even Thomas Tuchel was in awe of the City Ground’s history, showing the impact that any damage to the stadium’s presence would sadden the wider football world as well as those who call it their home on a weekend.