Given the most recent update on the City Ground development, Nottingham Forest’s stunning ascent on the pitch appears to be matched by owner Evangelos Marinakis’ ambition.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad is presently third in the Premier League table, following five consecutive league victories that have cemented Forest’s place among the Champions League contenders.
The Forest manager’s success has been so remarkable that Marinakis promised Espirito Santo a financial incentive if the team qualified for Europe, demonstrating his willingness for the team to maintain their upward trajectory.
Marinakis is also financially supporting Forest’s advancement through the projected expansion of the City Ground, which was recently updated in a report.
Plans for the City Ground are apparently ‘progressing’.
According to the Daily Mail, the development of the City Ground is linked to the Forest owner’s larger goals for the football club.
The paper stated that “Plans for 50,000-seater expansion of the City Ground are progressing” , as well as: “Marinakis is the real driving force of this upwardly mobile football club.”
Marinakis recently converted £82 million in loans into shares, substantially strengthening the club’s finances, and the newest City Ground report demonstrates that his efforts to enhance the club are far from complete.
Forest’s history influenced Marinakis’ decision to buy the club, with any enlargement of the iconic old stadium assuring that he will be remembered with his own piece of Forest history, particularly given the possible size of the expansion in comparison to other Premier League venues.
How would an expanded City Ground rank in the Premier League?
If Marinakis’ plan to extend the City Ground to 50,000 seats goes ahead, the stadium will become the eighth largest in the Premier League.
Forest would be ahead of European contenders like Chelsea and Aston Villa in terms of stadium capacity, trailing only Newcastle United and Manchester City.
Marinakis is claimed to have been inspired by Qatar’s Stadium 974, a temporary stadium created out of containers for the 2022 World Cup. While it appears improbable that an enlargement of the City Ground will use such radical architectural principles, Marinakis’ ambition means that nothing is impossible.