Forest ship in idea to boost City Ground crowds

Nottingham Forest could increase the capacity of its City Ground home by building temporary seating on top of shipping containers.

City Ground

The plans have been provisionally drawn up to take the capacity at Forest’s home ground past the 30,000 mark in a move that will mirror the design of Stadium 974 in Qatar at the last World Cup, according to reports in The Athletic.

Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, has been frustrated with the attempts to extend the City Ground, despite plans being given the green light to add 5,000 seats to the Peter Taylor Stand and create a 169-flat residential block at the ground in July 2022.

During that time a host of hospitality improvements have been made, but Marinakis is keen to take advantage of an estimated demand of 50,000 tickets for certain Premier League games.

One plan that has been drawn up is to fill the open corners either side of the Trent End of the City ground with new seating based on a shipping container base. The club won’t need planning permission for the move, and it could be finalised before the hectic Christmas matches schedule.

The Athletic says the idea has come from new Reds chairman Tom Cartledge, who also heads up architecture practice Benoy.

Forest are experiencing indifferent form in the Premier League. The club’s 3-2 defeat at West Ham on Sunday leaves them in 15th place.