Latest Nottingham Forest news from NottinghamshireLive brings you what the chairman Cartledge had to say about the City Ground
Tom Cartledge, the chairman of Nottingham Forest, expressed his desire for the City Ground to serve as the team’s permanent home, although he acknowledged that the financial benefits would only stretch so far.
Speaking on the Forest Focus podcast, which is available now, Cartledge covers a variety of subjects, including the possibility of moving the stadium. The team should relocate, according to owner Evangelos Marinakis, who told the Daily Mail that “moving to a bigger facility will set the club on the right path.”
It’s been a hotly contested subject, and some fans would want to stay at the City Ground. However, Cartledge clarified that there is only so much Forest can accomplish at its current location, and talks about relocating will continue, with a 50,000 stadium in Toton being one possible location.
In the meantime, however, Marinakis has just signed of a further injection of millions to make further stadium improvements.
“There’s been talks of moving the City Ground to a certain angle and all these other things,” he stated to Forest Focus.
“The stadium location where we currently occupy has all these limitations, that much is true. There is a river, there are residential neighborhoods nearby, and there is little parking. FIFA compliance requires that the pitch face a specific direction, which is occasionally overlooked.
“If we want to be hosting big events then you need circulation space around the outside. We can achieve a lot at the City Ground but we still have to be mindful it will still only go a certain distance in terms of providing attendance and a revenue we might need going forward.
“The City Ground, and I have talked about it in the press, is our home. We want it to be our home. We spent £10 or £15m last season and the season before on upgrades. And you’re just about to see as soon as Take That leave the ground, a series of more investments. I was with the owner on Monday signing off cheques that are significant in their millions to put safe standing in, to build the corner boxes, increase the fan spaces and that’s just confirmation that we’re not going anywhere soon.”
