NottinghamshireLive brings you the latest Nottingham Forest news, including what chairman Cartledge has to say about the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest chairman Tom Cartledge wants the City Ground to be the club’s home, but accepts it would only carry them so far in terms of money.
Cartledge discusses a variety of subjects in today’s Forest Focus episode, including the possibility of relocating the stadium. Evangelos Marinakis, the club’s owner, told the Daily Mail that “moving to a bigger facility will set the club on the right path.”
It’s been a hotly disputed matter, and many fans want to stay at the City Ground. However, Cartledge said that there is only so much they can accomplish at Forest’s existing home, and that the option of moving will be considered further, with a 50,000-capacity stadium near Toton being one potential location.
In the meantime, Marinakis has just secured a new deal worth millions to refurbish the stadium.
“There’s been talks of moving the City Ground to a certain angle and all these other things,” he stated to Forest Focus.
“Well, the reality is that the stadium location we are currently at has all of these restrictions. There are residential neighborhoods nearby, little parking, and the river is there. FIFA compliance requires that the pitch be oriented in a specific way, which is sometimes overlooked.
“If we want to stage large events, we will require circulation area around the outside. We can achieve a lot at the City Ground, but we must remember that it will only go so far in terms of producing attendance and revenue that we may require in the future.
“The City Ground, as I have mentioned in the press, is our home. We want it to be our home. We spent £10 to £15 million on renovations last season and the previous season. And you should expect to see a series of additional investments as soon as Take That leaves the ground. On Monday, I was with the owner signing off on checks worth millions of dollars to put safe standing in, add corner boxes, and boost fan spaces, which just confirms that we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”
