City Ground
Encyclopedia
The City Ground is a football
stadium in the West Bridgford
area of Nottingham
, Nottinghamshire
, England
, on the banks of the River Trent
. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club
since 1898, and has a capacity of 30,602 .
The stadium was one of the venues for Euro 96
, and is only three hundred yards away from Meadow Lane
, home of Forest's neighbouring club Notts County
; the two grounds are the closest professional football stadiums in England
and the second closest in the United Kingdom
after the grounds of Dundee F.C.
and Dundee United
.
The City Ground is the 21st largest club football ground in England.
In order to raise the £3,000 required to finance the move the club asked members, supporters and businessmen to subscribe to “New Ground Scheme” bearer bonds which cost £5 each. Over £2,000 was raised this way.
The new ground was called the City Ground. It was only a few hundred yards from the old Town Ground at the opposite end of Trent Bridge
, which had been named after the Town Arms pub. Nottingham was granted its Charter
as a City in 1897 and it was called the City Ground to commemorate this as the land on which it stands was at that time within the City boundary.
In 1952 boundary changes resulted in the ground coming under the local authority of West Bridgford rather than the City. Opposite the City Ground, still within the City boundaries, lies Meadow Lane
, home of Notts County. The City Ground was wide open on three sides with no protection from the weather but the pitch was one of the finest in the country. This was due to the presence on the committee of J. W. Bardill, a nurseryman whose family firm still exists near Nottingham
and whose company was given the task of preparing the pitch.
In 1935, the club had the opportunity to buy the ground from Nottingham Corporation for £7,000 but it was not proceeded with.
On 12 October 1967, a new East Stand opened at the City Ground costing £40,000 and having benches to sit up to 2,500 fans. The visitors for the opening were Manchester United
’s “Busby Babes
”. A new record attendance of 49,946 saw United win 2–1 and the ball, signed by both teams, is still in the Trophy Room.
The Main Stand was largely rebuilt in 1965 but on 24 August 1968 fire broke out during a First Division game against Leeds United
. The stand was subsequently burned to the ground but thankfully, despite a crowd of 31,126, there were no casualties. The fire started, probably in the dressing room area, just before half-time and, as much of it was built of wood, it spread rapidly and the whole stand went up in flames. As a result Forest played six ‘home’ matches at nearby Meadow Lane
and did not win one of them. Sadly many of the club’s records, trophies, memorabilia etc. were lost in the fire. The stand was rebuilt with a capacity of 5,708.
The Executive Stand was built in 1980 at a cost of £2 million—largely from proceeds of the unforgettable era in which Forest brought the European Cup
back to Nottingham in 1979 and 1980. Under Clough’s reign Forest had taken the English domestic game and the European scene by storm and money raised from those outstanding successes was invested in a stand that had a capacity of 10,000. The stand was renamed The Brian Clough Stand after Clough's retirement, and was re-opened after refurbishment by the man himself in the mid-1990s. The stand also incorporates 36 executive boxes and a large dining area which was designed to be the focus of the club’s corporate hospitality arrangements.
More major development took part in 1992–93
with the rebuilding of the Bridgford Stand. Work started in April 1992 and when completed the Stand had a capacity of 7,710, the lower tier of 5,131 being allocated to away supporters. The unusual shape of the roof was a planning requirement to allow sunlight to reach houses in nearby Colwick Road. The Stand includes accommodation for 70 wheelchair supporters. It also houses a management suite, which includes the public address systems, computerised electronic scoreboard controls and the police matchday operation.
The Trent End was the most recent stand to be rebuilt—in time for Euro 96
, the European Football Championships. The new stand, such a prominent landmark by the River Trent
, held 7,338 to take the ground’s capacity to 30,576. The ground would be able to expand to up to 46,000 if ever there was ever a return to the top flight. On 20 June 2007, the Forest board announced plans for a possible relocation to a new 50,000-seat stadium in the city, though even if these plans do go ahead, the club's directors do not expect relocation to take place until at least 2014.
The City Ground also hosted the FA Women's Cup
Final for two successive years in 2007 and 2008. The 2007 final was contested by Arsenal L.F.C.
and Charlton Athletic L.F.C.
with the attendance of 24,529 smashing the previous record attendance for the competition of 13,824 for the final between Arsenal L.F.C. and Fulham L.F.C.
at Selhurst Park
in 2001. In 2008, the attendance record was broken once again when 24,582 spectators saw Arsenal A.F.C. beat Leeds United 4–1.
Aside from football, the stadium has also hosted two other large-scale events. On April 28, 2002, the stadium hosted a semi-final of rugby
's Heineken Cup
in which Leicester Tigers
beat Llanelli Scarlets
13–12 and on 6 July 2005, the stadium hosted its first music concert when R.E.M.
performed there in front of an audience of 20,000.
announced plans to leave the City Ground after more than 100 years, with the aim of Nottingham having a ground suitable to hold matches for the 2018 World Cup, for which England is a bidding nation. The City Ground was deemed unsuitable, even with expansion, due to the areas that needed to be available for fan parks around the stadium; the City Ground is in a dense urban area, surrounded by private housing, businesses and industry. The initial plan was to move to a new purpose built stadium
in Clifton towards the south of the city, forming part of a new housing and leisure development. However, this location was soon changed to a site at Gamston due to logistical problems surrounding plans for a Clifton ground, such as potential matchday pressures on the proposed Nottingham Express Transit
tram extension and the A453. Plans for the Gamston ground were exhibitied to the FA
World Cup committee in 2009, and Nottingham's plans for a new ground and waterside Fan Park using the River Trent
, meant they were successful in getting through to the next stage of potential host cities for the 2018 World Cup bid, even beating plans by neighbours Derby
and Leicester
, who already had new stadiums but were eliminated from the Host City pool. However, objection from Gamston residents and its out-of-town location has meant that more recently, this Stadium site has changed again, with the City Council looking towards an area of wasteland currently being redeveloped, known as Eastside, around a mile to the East of the city centre near the Sneinton
area. Although the plans are still preliminary, any such ground would seat 40,000–50,000 people.
There were previously plans to rebuild the City Ground's Main Stand (on the condition that Forest return to the Premier League) – a plan which would make the ground up to around 40,000 capacity. However, Forest now justified the new ground plan over the previously proposed City Ground Main Stand extension by suggesting that the current 'new' stands (Trent End, Brian Clough Stand, Bridgford Stand) are in a state which, 10 years down the line, would be money intensive on club funds, along with other complex FIFA
host ground restrictions. Much of the funding for the brand new stadium however would be from the private sector
or Nottingham City Council
.
Possible stadium names have even been suggested by some supporters, including the Brian Clough Arena, the New City Ground, City of Nottingham Stadium, and the Robin Hood
Arena.
Due to the 2018 FIFA World Cup
being awarded to Russia, plans for a new ground have been at least temporarily shelved, with the original plan of rebuilding the Main Stand now being considered in the event of Forest winning promotion to the Premier League.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
stadium in the West Bridgford
West Bridgford
West Bridgford is a town in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies immediately south of the city of Nottingham, delimited by the River Trent; this proximity means that it forms a continuous urban area with Nottingham, effectively makes West Bridgford a suburb of the city, and...
area of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on the banks of the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
since 1898, and has a capacity of 30,602 .
The stadium was one of the venues for Euro 96
1996 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...
, and is only three hundred yards away from Meadow Lane
Meadow Lane
Not to be confused with The Meadow, home of Southern Football League Premier Division football team Chesham UnitedThe Meadow Lane Stadium is a football stadium in Nottingham, England...
, home of Forest's neighbouring club Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
; the two grounds are the closest professional football stadiums in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the second closest in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
after the grounds of Dundee F.C.
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
and Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
.
The City Ground is the 21st largest club football ground in England.
History
Nottingham Forest moved to their new ground on 3 September 1898 – 33 years after their formation and six years after election to the Football League.In order to raise the £3,000 required to finance the move the club asked members, supporters and businessmen to subscribe to “New Ground Scheme” bearer bonds which cost £5 each. Over £2,000 was raised this way.
The new ground was called the City Ground. It was only a few hundred yards from the old Town Ground at the opposite end of Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, which had been named after the Town Arms pub. Nottingham was granted its Charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
as a City in 1897 and it was called the City Ground to commemorate this as the land on which it stands was at that time within the City boundary.
In 1952 boundary changes resulted in the ground coming under the local authority of West Bridgford rather than the City. Opposite the City Ground, still within the City boundaries, lies Meadow Lane
Meadow Lane
Not to be confused with The Meadow, home of Southern Football League Premier Division football team Chesham UnitedThe Meadow Lane Stadium is a football stadium in Nottingham, England...
, home of Notts County. The City Ground was wide open on three sides with no protection from the weather but the pitch was one of the finest in the country. This was due to the presence on the committee of J. W. Bardill, a nurseryman whose family firm still exists near Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and whose company was given the task of preparing the pitch.
In 1935, the club had the opportunity to buy the ground from Nottingham Corporation for £7,000 but it was not proceeded with.
On 12 October 1967, a new East Stand opened at the City Ground costing £40,000 and having benches to sit up to 2,500 fans. The visitors for the opening were Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
’s “Busby Babes
Busby Babes
The Busby Babes were a group of Manchester United players, recruited and trained by the club's chief scout Joe Armstrong and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, who progressed from the club's youth team into the first team under the management of the eponymous Matt Busby.The Busby Babes were notable...
”. A new record attendance of 49,946 saw United win 2–1 and the ball, signed by both teams, is still in the Trophy Room.
The Main Stand was largely rebuilt in 1965 but on 24 August 1968 fire broke out during a First Division game against Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. The stand was subsequently burned to the ground but thankfully, despite a crowd of 31,126, there were no casualties. The fire started, probably in the dressing room area, just before half-time and, as much of it was built of wood, it spread rapidly and the whole stand went up in flames. As a result Forest played six ‘home’ matches at nearby Meadow Lane
Meadow Lane
Not to be confused with The Meadow, home of Southern Football League Premier Division football team Chesham UnitedThe Meadow Lane Stadium is a football stadium in Nottingham, England...
and did not win one of them. Sadly many of the club’s records, trophies, memorabilia etc. were lost in the fire. The stand was rebuilt with a capacity of 5,708.
The Executive Stand was built in 1980 at a cost of £2 million—largely from proceeds of the unforgettable era in which Forest brought the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
back to Nottingham in 1979 and 1980. Under Clough’s reign Forest had taken the English domestic game and the European scene by storm and money raised from those outstanding successes was invested in a stand that had a capacity of 10,000. The stand was renamed The Brian Clough Stand after Clough's retirement, and was re-opened after refurbishment by the man himself in the mid-1990s. The stand also incorporates 36 executive boxes and a large dining area which was designed to be the focus of the club’s corporate hospitality arrangements.
More major development took part in 1992–93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
with the rebuilding of the Bridgford Stand. Work started in April 1992 and when completed the Stand had a capacity of 7,710, the lower tier of 5,131 being allocated to away supporters. The unusual shape of the roof was a planning requirement to allow sunlight to reach houses in nearby Colwick Road. The Stand includes accommodation for 70 wheelchair supporters. It also houses a management suite, which includes the public address systems, computerised electronic scoreboard controls and the police matchday operation.
The Trent End was the most recent stand to be rebuilt—in time for Euro 96
1996 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...
, the European Football Championships. The new stand, such a prominent landmark by the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
, held 7,338 to take the ground’s capacity to 30,576. The ground would be able to expand to up to 46,000 if ever there was ever a return to the top flight. On 20 June 2007, the Forest board announced plans for a possible relocation to a new 50,000-seat stadium in the city, though even if these plans do go ahead, the club's directors do not expect relocation to take place until at least 2014.
The City Ground also hosted the FA Women's Cup
FA Women's Cup
The Football Association Women’s Challenge Cup Competition, commonly referred to as the FA Women's Cup, is the top cup competition for women's football clubs in England – designed as an exact equivalent to the FA Cup created 99 years earlier...
Final for two successive years in 2007 and 2008. The 2007 final was contested by Arsenal L.F.C.
Arsenal L.F.C.
Arsenal Ladies Football Club are an English women's association football club affiliated with Arsenal F.C.. Founded in 1987, they are the most successful club in English women's football having won 34 major trophies to date; which are 12 FA Women's Premier League titles, 11 FA Women's Cups, ten...
and Charlton Athletic L.F.C.
Charlton Athletic L.F.C.
Charlton Athletic Women's Football Club play in the FA Women's Premier League National Division in England. Between 2000, the year it was founded from Croydon Women's F.C. and 2007, Charlton had one of the most successful women's teams in England...
with the attendance of 24,529 smashing the previous record attendance for the competition of 13,824 for the final between Arsenal L.F.C. and Fulham L.F.C.
Fulham L.F.C.
WFC Fulham, previously known as Fulham LFC, was a Ladies Football Club formerly associated with Fulham Football Club. The team were dissolved as of 16 May 2006, but were later re-established with independence from Fulham F.C....
at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
in 2001. In 2008, the attendance record was broken once again when 24,582 spectators saw Arsenal A.F.C. beat Leeds United 4–1.
Aside from football, the stadium has also hosted two other large-scale events. On April 28, 2002, the stadium hosted a semi-final of rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
's Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
in which Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
beat Llanelli Scarlets
Llanelli Scarlets
The Scarlets are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Llanelli, south-west Wales the team play at the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, as well as competing in the LV= Cup and the Heineken Cup...
13–12 and on 6 July 2005, the stadium hosted its first music concert when R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
performed there in front of an audience of 20,000.
Proposed relocation
In June 2007, Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
announced plans to leave the City Ground after more than 100 years, with the aim of Nottingham having a ground suitable to hold matches for the 2018 World Cup, for which England is a bidding nation. The City Ground was deemed unsuitable, even with expansion, due to the areas that needed to be available for fan parks around the stadium; the City Ground is in a dense urban area, surrounded by private housing, businesses and industry. The initial plan was to move to a new purpose built stadium
New Nottingham Forest Stadium
The New Nottingham Forest Stadium was a proposed football stadium which would have been built in Nottingham. Several locations were discussed, with the hope that the ground would host matches at the 2018 World Cup had England's bid been successful. The stadium would also have been home of...
in Clifton towards the south of the city, forming part of a new housing and leisure development. However, this location was soon changed to a site at Gamston due to logistical problems surrounding plans for a Clifton ground, such as potential matchday pressures on the proposed Nottingham Express Transit
Nottingham Express Transit
Nottingham Express Transit is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million to construct. The scheme took sixteen years from conception to implementation...
tram extension and the A453. Plans for the Gamston ground were exhibitied to the FA
FA
Fa or FA may refer to:- Education :* Falmouth Academy* Foxcroft Academy* Friends Academy* Fryeburg Academy- Finance :* Federal Association, Federal Savings Bank* Financial adviser* Financial analyst- Government and law :...
World Cup committee in 2009, and Nottingham's plans for a new ground and waterside Fan Park using the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
, meant they were successful in getting through to the next stage of potential host cities for the 2018 World Cup bid, even beating plans by neighbours Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
and Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, who already had new stadiums but were eliminated from the Host City pool. However, objection from Gamston residents and its out-of-town location has meant that more recently, this Stadium site has changed again, with the City Council looking towards an area of wasteland currently being redeveloped, known as Eastside, around a mile to the East of the city centre near the Sneinton
Sneinton
Sneinton is a south-eastern suburb of Nottingham, England. The area is bounded by Carlton to the north, Colwick to the south, Meadow Lane to the southwest and Bakersfield to the east.-Description:...
area. Although the plans are still preliminary, any such ground would seat 40,000–50,000 people.
There were previously plans to rebuild the City Ground's Main Stand (on the condition that Forest return to the Premier League) – a plan which would make the ground up to around 40,000 capacity. However, Forest now justified the new ground plan over the previously proposed City Ground Main Stand extension by suggesting that the current 'new' stands (Trent End, Brian Clough Stand, Bridgford Stand) are in a state which, 10 years down the line, would be money intensive on club funds, along with other complex FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
host ground restrictions. Much of the funding for the brand new stadium however would be from the private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
or Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council is the non-metropolitan district council for the unitary authority of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire. It consists of 55 councillors, representing a total of 20 wards, elected every four years. It is led by Jon Collins, of the majority Labour Party. The deputy leader of the...
.
Possible stadium names have even been suggested by some supporters, including the Brian Clough Arena, the New City Ground, City of Nottingham Stadium, and the Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
Arena.
Due to the 2018 FIFA World Cup
2018 FIFA World Cup
The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was...
being awarded to Russia, plans for a new ground have been at least temporarily shelved, with the original plan of rebuilding the Main Stand now being considered in the event of Forest winning promotion to the Premier League.