The World Famous City Ground - Home of the PROPER WORLD‘S OLDEST LEAGUE CLUB

[Flaggers]

Going back to the discussion about the state of Trentside and the road by the river.
Just had it confirmed to me that the road is the responsibility of the City Council, and they're wanting to look at the state of the potholes down there with some urgency.
From what I can tell, the club are actively pushing for improvements down here as well.

Some of the stuff down Trentside is potholes. The rest is chasms into another dimension

 

[PlayedOnGrass]

Surely if EM offers the council a decent whack for the freehold the bankrupt council will take it?

You would have thought so.
Apparently the council are currently trying to quadruple our rent to £1m per year - that is part of the hold up.
Bankrupt council trying to screw the club

 

[Otis Redding]

If, hypothetically, the First Team did move elsewhere then I'd imagine the club would still get plenty use out of the site, for Academy sides, and possibly even could give the Womens team their own home ground.

They're currently building new facilities for the Academy on the site, so I'd imagine there's a long term future there. The site wasn't originally intended for the First Team anyway.

A small-capacity, enclosed 'ground' that could potentially accommodate the women, the U-21s and younger academy sides would be ideal, but I expect it would attact an awful lot of local resistance.

 

[Masuka]

I've read the article and it got me excited. To be sure there's a big element of 'expectation management' in there, and probably it is, to an extent, a reaction to the negativity and cynicism that is current amongst the supporter base.

Positives: aspirational, 40,000 or more, new training base (urgently required and I know of enquiries being made over some years), aware of icome generation potential, sustainability (solar panels), benefits for the wider economy ... all good.

Negatives: obviously the big bad apple is the lease (spa will happen unless they can sort that, or purchase the freehold), nothing about safe standing, nothing about creating an 'end', nothing about where the visiting supporters will be located.

All done by 2027? Be lovely if true. Expanded Bridgford, plans 'ready to go in'? Well, that will be a planning battle for sure because to increase the capacity by 5,000 there means that the stand will be higher, so we're into light issues as well as access. It would look great and it is needed, and obviously Tom Cartledge believes that it is possible so let's hope he is correct.

The get out is "if we can't sort it we'll have to relocate but we don't want to". To put it another way, if it's cheaper, easier and gives us a better solution, we will move and blame someone else.

Overall though reading that has given me an increased sense of optimism. Forest PR dept please take note.

I think deep down the club want to move to an out of town stadium.

 

[Bonalair]

I don’t

 

[Masuka]

I don’t

Nor do I but you only have to look at the European super league calling fans ‘legacy fans’ to see how much our opinions are worth to owners and those in charge of football organisations

 

[Redemption]

I think deep down the club want to move to an out of town stadium.

Even though they keep saying they don't and they're now saying 2027 is the date while the small signs that show preparatory work needed for the New Stand at the City Ground is underway. The boxes are going in soon. New offices in the Park.

We're staying put, and it's getting developed.

 

[Masuka]

Even they they keep saying they don't and they're now saying 2027 is the date while the small signs that show preparatory work needed for the New Stand at the City Ground is underway. The boxes are going in soon. New offices in the Park.

We're staying put, and it's getting developed.

I hope you are right!

 

[Notcher]

"Ze List" should be the first thing you see as you enter the building

It's only gonna be 2 tiers. We'd need at least 5 tiers to hang that scroll

 

[Statto]

It's only gonna be 2 tiers. We'd need at least 5 tiers to hang that scroll

engrave it in paving slabs and run it along the A5-2

 

[Otis Redding]

I think deep down the club want to move to an out of town stadium.

There's potential space for a new stadium even closer to town, so if you're right that they do want to move "deep down", then why out of town?

 

[Wes' Organ]

It certainly needs some form of explanation given that the former chairman, Nicholas Randall, announced in 2019 that the club had been granted a new 250-year-lease. Randall said he was “delighted” to secure the future of the club’s home ground.

In fact, the agreement was never completed. Forest have been operating, as before, with a 50-year lease agreement from 2011 and, before starting a redevelopment of this magnitude, the club need the securities and insurance of knowing the council will not, at some point, come up with alternative plans for what is a prime riverside location. As it stands, there is no such guarantee, even though the ground was added to the community asset register following an application by the club’s supporters’ trust in 2017.

Nicholas Randall KC being less than honest? Get out of town!

 

[Masuka]

There's potential space for a new stadium even closer to town, so if you're right that they do want to move "deep down", then why out of town?

Out of town there’s less bars, restaurants, hotels etc which we could end up building our own by the stadium and getting the money from.

Seeing as that’s all football has become trying to get as much money as possible in to have a chance of competing

 

[Wes' Organ]

I read that as us being fingered before they fukc us over with a new out of town stadium

 

[donny]

If, hypothetically, the First Team did move elsewhere then I'd imagine the club would still get plenty use out of the site, for Academy sides, and possibly even could give the Womens team their own home ground.

They're currently building new facilities for the Academy on the site, so I'd imagine there's a long term future there. The site wasn't originally intended for the First Team anyway.

If its anything like Manchester United, they use the facilities at The Cliff for some of the younger academy sides to train at, then the 18s, 21s and Senior sides use Carrington.

 

[I'm Red Till Dead]

Thanks for the heads up. What will become of the site then? I wonder if we could sell it to the Sadpies?

According to the following they used to train at Wilford Lane.

(Nottingham Evening Post, Thursday, August 27, 1998)



Forest eye up Academy site



By IAN LADYMAN

​

NOTTINGHAM Forest are ready to plough £2m into a youth academy complex on the site of the Wilford Lane Sports Centre.

PROPOSED SITE:

Gresham Playing Fields on Wilford Lane​

Forest have put together a package to buy the site - on Gresham Close - from Notts County Council but are facing competition from two other interested parties.

The county council is keen to sell the site and has set a Friday deadline for definite bids.

The site - used until last season as a training ground for Notts County - would be an ideal place on which to site Forest's academy. It already has two floodlit all-weather pitches and room to lay as many as six top-class grass playing surfaces.

Already equipped with changing and dining facilities, the site would be ready for use by the start of next season.

After that Forest would look to build their own changing blocks, education facilities and possibly accommodation units.

I understand the club has set aside a budget of £2m for the project, which was first touted as part of the pledges made by Forest's owners when they assumed control of the club 18 months ago.

Chief executive Phil Soar said: "We have always said that we are committed to building the facility and that remains the case. We will issue more definite details of what we hope to do as soon as we can. Obviously a site close to the city centre would be ideal.”

A high-level meeting of Forest directors and advisers took place at the City Ground on Tuesday and the final touches were put to the club's bid document. Now they will wait anxiously to see if their bid is accepted by the County Council.

A spokesperson for the authority said: "The county council has invited bids for the complex but we are not able to say who has expressed an interest.”

"The authority keeping its options open and no final decisions have been made."

Forest - along with 31 other clubs - have been granted academy status by the Football Association and as a result are committed to developing the required facilities.

Although Forest will look to begin work at Wilford as soon as possible they do not have to have all their facilities in place until the year 2001.

The club appointed Paul Hart as its director of youth last summer and he has steadily increased the number of back-up staff to 12.

The area under consideration includes land on the left of Gresham Close and land on the right, as far as the prominent earth bank.

Forest are believed to be in favour of continued community use of the area but clearly any purchase at all would threaten the access currently granted to 20 local football and cricket teams.

 

[donny]

Wonder if the club have made enquiries about the land at Bulwell Hall given the council were looking to close it a couple of years back.

 

[Otis Redding]

Out of town there’s less bars, restaurants, hotels etc which we could end up building our own by the stadium and getting the money from.

Seeing as that’s all football has become trying to get as much money as possible in to have a chance of competing

In that case, why not have these bars, food-outlets etc at the potential IN-town site, where there is more likely to be some non-matchday demand to take advantage of?

I can't emphasise enough that my personal preference is very much for us to stay-put, but if the club's long-term ambitions can't be fulfilled there, a new stadium does not have to be out-of-town.

 

[valspoodle]

All this is pie-in-the-sky stuff. Have all the stuff done they wish to complete by 2027? No chance. How long has it taken to get from nothing to nothing, then, at the last minute, put containers in the corner of the ground?

I've been trying to get a builder to sort out a small project in my garden, after six months I still have to find one with time to complete this simple job. Forest have no chance to get a bloke in by the time they wish to complete.

 

[sammy the snake]

Meadows recreation ground looks almost perfect. Next to river, tram stop near by, park and ride easily sorted. Cycle routes etc. bridge access

Really want Forest to stay but the situation could become untenable for Forest long term goals.

 

[Lady Penelope]

I think deep down the club want to move to an out of town stadium.

Business is business and a new build is probably better and cheaper per seat than a refurb on a difficult site. I am sure that they don't want to move out of town though, the planning and logistics make such moves far less attractive than they once were. Out of town would be a last resort I'm sure of that.

 

[Lady Penelope]

If, hypothetically, the First Team did move elsewhere then I'd imagine the club would still get plenty use out of the site, for Academy sides, and possibly even could give the Womens team their own home ground.

They're currently building new facilities for the Academy on the site, so I'd imagine there's a long term future there. The site wasn't originally intended for the First Team anyway.

That's certainly possible but I am sure that Forest want all teams on the one site. Gym equipment? medical? Catering? Why replicate it over two sites?

 

[Morpeth]

Meadows recreation ground looks almost perfect. Next to river, tram stop near by, park and ride easily sorted. Cycle routes etc. bridge access

Really want Forest to stay but the situation could become untenable for Forest long term goals.

I’ve never understood why that’s never or rarely been spoken of. Presumably because it’s green open space, but frankly whenever I’ve been there it’s just crap. Stick a brand spanking new ground there (if we have to move) and it could be sensational.

 

[Lady Penelope]

Even though they keep saying they don't and they're now saying 2027 is the date while the small signs that show preparatory work needed for the New Stand at the City Ground is underway. The boxes are going in soon. New offices in the Park.

We're staying put, and it's getting developed.

Absolutely so.
However, I can see, five years down the line, that they say" we tried, we couldn't, we've wasted time and lots of money, we have to do something else". That's increasingly unlikely as each piece of work starts, but it is not absolutely nailed on yet. I bet that there will be lots of people in WB plotting against any expansion of the Bridgford, grumbling to one another over their dead flat (southern style) pints of ale.

Unless, of course, Forest have acquired more property in the area.

 

[Lady Penelope]

Renting Trent Pool from us is more than sufficient for that lot, and I can't see them applying for an academy category-level that would require them to have need of a site as big as the NDA.

Selling to a commercial enterprise is possible I suppose - golf ranges, tennis/squash courts, that sort of thing?

Aye, depends on their own aspirations I guess. We could lease it to them perhaps? Trent Pool has two or three pitches, no changing facilities (they use a minibus I think) and is very old school. It could be a site for a relocated rowing club or two though?