In 2023, Nottingham Forest celebrate 125 years of playing football at the City Ground. That is some achievement, but will they still be there a century from now or will a new home have been found?

Change, in just about every walk of life, is inevitable. Success has a tendency to speed that process along, and those on Trentside have enjoyed plenty of that recently.

After spending 23 long years on the outside of a Premier League party looking in, return tickets to the biggest show in club football were secured in 2022.

Exploits

Forest more than held their own back in the big time – on the back of a now infamous recruitment drive – and avoided relegation with room to spare.

Steve Cooper has reinforced again in the summer of 2023, with his side now 9/2 in English Premier League betting odds to secure a top-half finish and a healthy 1/14 to avoid slipping back down into the Championship.

© Harry Edmo

The exploits of those donning Garibaldi jerseys have captured the hearts and minds of a loyal and long-suffering fan base. Tickets to watch the Reds – particularly when the established elite are in town – have become akin to gold dust.

The City Ground sells out week after week – which sounds very much like a positive, not a problem.

Forest could, however, easily shift another 10-20,000 entrance passes each time that they take to home soil. As it stands, their 30,445 capacity just is not big enough, with demand continuing to outstrip supply.

That is a nice position to be in – nobody wants empty seats – but supporters are missing out on the chance to watch their heroes in action and the club are failing to maximise their earning potential while trying to compete with rivals that have billions in the bank.

Plans were drawn up to expand the City Ground back in 2019, but completing such projects is never easy. Permission has been granted by the relevant authorities, but no ground has been broken and redevelopment of the antique Peter Taylor Stand remains a pipe dream for now.

© Harry Edmo

The club, with owner Evangelos Marinakis leading the way, remain committed to staying put. The man in charge of the purse strings has said: We have great plans for the future of our historic home on the banks of the Trent. We are committed to retaining the soul of the stadium and its place in our history, whilst expanding it to create a modern venue commensurate with our bold ambitions.

Options

That is music to the ears of Forest fans, with many considering talk of a possible move to be sacrilegious.

Said murmurings refuse to go away, though, with there only so long that Forest can wait – while operating with one hand tied behind their back – before alternative options have to be considered. A new, purpose-built stadium would return fate to their own hands and allow a 21st-century venue to be constructed.

The expectation is that the Reds will remain in their current home – one that has played host to Brian Clough, European Cup glory, Stuart Pearce, Roy Keane and Teddy Sheringham down the years – but whether they are still there in 2123 remains to be seen.

© Benoy, Nottingham Forest