Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek shipping billionaire who owns the Premier League team, recently urged that the club should move to a bigger facility to push forward and match his objectives for the Reds.
Businesses near Nottingham Forest’s City Ground have condemned the club’s “devastating” plans to leave its historic home as “selling the soul” and warned of the implications. Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek shipping billionaire who owns the Premier League team, recently requested that the club relocate to a larger facility outside of the city in order to progress and meet his goals for the Reds.
Despite the shock and disappointment of fans and Nottingham City Council leaders, who lease the land to Nottingham Forest for £250,000 per year, the club has approached Nottinghamshire County Council in the hopes of relocating its stadium to Toton, which was previously earmarked for HS2’s eastern leg before its cancellation. Those who manage bars and stores near the 30,404-capacity stadium, all of which are Nottingham Forest-themed or have memorabilia on sale or on the walls, said they would be devastated if Marinakis’ recently-outlined masterplan were realized.
Mark James, 47, the proprietor of the Boot Room just opposite from the City Ground, said the fan-favourite boozer would suffer if the City Ground relocated off the banks of the River Trent. “He [Marinakis] has a decision to make, and if they relocate, it would force many local company owners to reconsider their plans.
“We would suffer without the ground; we don’t want to rely on it, but pubs are closing every day right now, and the spectators coming in help us deal with mounting costs. Forest supporters come in for drinks on match days, but they also arrange private parties and gatherings afterward.
“After a long week of work, many individuals spend their weekends at this stadium drinking. Everything seems to be working against the fans right now, from ticket prices to the loss of more 3pm Saturday games, and now this: relocating the club away.
“I would be stunned if they relocated; I believe the supporters would be quite saddened by the shift and the loss of the club’s heritage here. It just feels very contrary to the will of the fans, which is what football’s core ideals should be based on – I believe it is selling the club’s soul.”
Jessica Beales, 45, who owns Cloughies Cob Stop in the shadow of the stadium on Pavilion Road, was adamantly opposed to the plans, which would jeopardize the strongly themed cafe named after the Reds’ most successful manager. “Just the thought of it is devastating, our business depends on it but we’re fans too – I don’t want to see it go,” she stated.
“Rolling in from the Trent won’t work in Toton, is it? Our entire family is opposed to it, both for business reasons and because we are fans; I simply do not believe the matchday atmosphere will ever be the same if it happens.”
When told that the timeline for such a move was unknown, Ms Beales stated that the shop was now expanding into a facility next door for the 2024/2025 football season. “But that will be out of the window if they end up moving soon,” she said.
The proposals detailed by Nottingham Forest’s billionaire owner are the latest step in a disagreement between the club and the city council, which began when the club went public about its resistance to the council’s proposal to raise the rent from £250,000 to “north of a million.” However, the Labour-run council has stated that an offer for Forest to buy the stadium’s freehold for £10 million has been on the table since the start of talks.
Marinakis has accused Nottingham of lacking vision and wants to see his club move to a 50,000-seater all-purpose stadium with cutting-edge training facilities and an academy. To that purpose, Forest has inked a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with the Conservative-led county council, which says the arrangement would help the club “deliver new training and stadium infrastructure” on Toton land.
Like many businesses near the current stadium, which has hosted the two-time European Cup champions since 1898, the MSR Newsagents on Radcliffe Road has changed to appeal to the thousands of supporters who attend every home game. Forest publications, books, and fanzines occupy an entire wall of the business, allowing supporters to stock up on souvenirs, but this could change if Marinakis implements his plan to depart West Bridgford.
“During football and cricket matches we get more people coming in, that’s why we have a lot of Forest items for sale,” Sanyam Pahwa, a worker at the shop, “If the stadium left I think fewer people would buy these things, so I think that would have to change – it would have an impact on the business but we will only see how bad that impact will be when it happens.”
Shas Hama, a barber at 1st Hair Cut on Pavilion Road, stated that, unlike most other local business owners, he was split between his heart and his mind about the proposed relocation. “As a fan I definitely don’t want to see us move, but we do get a lot less people coming in during match days because the road is closed and you can’t park nearby – so it could be better for the business,” the Forest fan stated.
“I am confident that if they develop hundreds of units there later, we will have more consumers, but as a fan, I do not want that to happen. I don’t think it makes sense to relocate so far out of the way, and I doubt anyone will desire to do so.”
