Club Profile

Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest is in a very cool city not too far from London. And boy, are they happy these days! They are back in the top tier for the first time in a long time, and off on a European tour this season!

LOCATION: In the East Midlands, 90 train minutes from St. Pancras station in London or from Piccadilly station in Manchester, an hour from Birmingham

CONTACT: nottinghamforest.co.uk

NICKNAMES: Forest or the Reds

History

For almost 20 years, one could be forgiven for thinking that Nottingham Forest Football Club’s history began in 1975 and ended sometime around 1990.

Here is why: in 1975, Forest had just finished 16th in the Second Division. In their 97-year history, they had never won anything except a couple of FA Cups (the most recent in 1959) and some lower divisions, and they had finished higher than fifth in the league exactly three times. They were nobody. And then they hired two men to build their squad and run the club: Brian Clough (pronounced CLUFF) and Peter Taylor.

By all accounts, Clough—who had taken nearby Derby County from similar status to the league championship—was a genius at tactics and motivation, as well as being one of the great characters in the game’s history. Words like acerbic and biting and entertaining are often applied to him. He was known for quotes such as “When I go, God will have to give up his favorite chair.” (We encourage you to watch documentaries about him on YouTube.) Taylor, meanwhile, came off as the voice of reason and calm, with the unfailing ability to spot and attract talented footballers who fit Clough’s system.

They got Forest into Division One two years later, in 1977. The next spring they won the League Cup—and then the league! That got them into the European Cup, which they won in 1979 after bagging another League Cup and finishing second in the league. In 1980 all they did was win Europe again!

It’s really hard to put this into perspective. Remember Leicester City’s fairy-tale league title in 2016? That came after they had been promoted two years before and barely stayed up the year before. Right, so imagine they had gone on to win two straight Champions Leagues. Utterly and completely miraculous.

In the 1980s, Forest got into Europe a few more times, once as far as the semifinals, and won two more League Cups. But Clough’s power was fading, his alcoholism was becoming an issue, and he started to alienate everyone around him. In 1993 he retired on a day when mighty Forest were relegated from the Premier League. He died in 2004, and the club went through more than 20 managers and spent the last 14 seasons in the Championship.

In 2020-21, they finished 17th, and they started the next season with just one draw in seven games, resulting in yet another managerial change. But then the magic returned; they lost only three of their last 21 games, made the quarterfinals of the FA Cup (beating Arsenal and Leicester along the way), and won the Championship Playoff Final over Huddersfield Town to get back to the Premier League for the first time since 1999.

They barely stayed up for two seasons, but last season they made the FA Cup semifinals and flirted with a Champions League spot before fading at the finish, winning just one of their last five games and settling for the Conference League-still their first European spot in 29 years.

2024–25 SEASON: 7th in Premier League, Semifinals FA Cup, 2nd Round League Cup

2025–26 SEASON: Premier League (promoted in 2022), UEFA Conference League

Rivalries

Derby County is the biggest rival by far, in part because they are 14 miles away and in part because Clough managed both. The two have contested the Brian Clough Trophy since 2007. Also, Notts County, whose ground is right across the river but who are always in a different league, is a rival. They haven’t played since the 2011-12 League Cup, and County are 3 levels away. Then there’s Leicester City, another East Midlands outfit just 28 miles away. And finally, two Yorkshire clubs: Sheffield United and, to a lesser extent, Leeds United. That’s because of a miners’ strike in the 1980s when Yorkshire miners walked out but many in Nottinghamshire didn’t. (This English stuff gets complicated and multileveled.) At these games, supporters still swap songs about the strike—more than 30 years later!

Women's Team

Last season, Nottingham Forest Women FC won the third-tier Women’s National League North, so they will be in the WSL2 this season, with home games at City Ground.

Songs

Before each game, to the bagpipe-filled tune of an obscure Paul McCartney and Wings song “Mull of Kintyre,” Forest fans stand and sing:

City Ground

Oh mist rolling in from the Trent

My desire is always to be here

Oh City Ground.

Stadium

City Ground makes a lovely sight on the banks of the River Trent, especially when you’re walking over Trent Bridge from the station. They have played there since 1898, and today’s capacity is 30,445. The most impressive stand is, naturally, the Brian Clough Stand, which was built with money from his team’s exploits in Europe. It opened in 1980 and was named for him in the 1990s. Two other stands were also rebuilt in the 1990s, leaving the 1965 Main Stand looking a bit worn down by comparison.

The away fans will be in the Bridgford Road Stand behind a goal, over by the Clough Stand. Try to sit either in the Clough Stand for comfort or the Main Stand for the view.

TOURS: Tours are offered a couple of times a month and led by the captain of the Europe-winning teams. Cost is £15.

Going to a Game at Nottingham Forest

GETTING THERE: It’s a one-mile walk from the station. You can knock most of that distance off by taking a Keyworth-bound bus from the station to the Trent Bridge.

PUBS: As you walk over from the station, you’ll pass a Hooters on the right, believe it or not. Just past that on the left, there’s a bar at Meadow Lane, home ground of Notts County. They are never at home when Forest is, but their bar is open. Just before the bridge is The Embankment, a 1907 pub now owned by a local brewery. Just across the bridge is the Trent Bridge Inn, a historic pub now part of the Wetherspoon chain.

In town there are three seriously old pubs, each laying some claim to being the oldest around. The Bell Inn, in the middle of town, dates to 1437. Ye Olde Salutation Inn is from 1420! And Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, in caves under Nottingham Castle, says it was founded in 1189, but there’s no proof of it. The caves were being used to store beer for the castle before that, but the oldest part of the current building is from the 1650s. Still.

Along the restored canal, the Canal Pub is pretty cool, with outdoor seating and lots of food.

GRUB: Behind the stadium on Radcliffe Road you’ll find a little cluster of takeaway places, including the popular Bridgford Fish Bar. Further down Bridgford Road is another cluster, including a Pizza Express and a Spanish place called Escabeche. Otherwise, it’s all up in town, where you can find a nice lunch at the Ugly Bread Bakery and a good burger at Annie’s Burger Shack.

AROUND TOWN: So yes, this is Robin Hood country. Dude is everywhere too. Nottingham Castle is really just an art museum now, but the grounds are nice, and there’s a good view of the city as well as the old pub mentioned above. And there’s a statue of The Man Himself with his arrow drawn.

The 19th-century Lace Market is nice for a walk around. Other things to check out include City of Caves, part of the National Justice Museum; and Wollaton Hall, a country estate and deer park reachable by a city bus.

By all accounts, the Robin Hood experience you’re looking for, with Maid Marion and the whole gang, featuring tours and performances and everything, is offered by Ezekial Bone, at ezekialbone.com. Even locals say they enjoy it. It’s available from June to October, and you’ll need to book well ahead.