Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Nottingham Forest, is contemplating relocating from the City Ground to a new stadium on the city’s outskirts.
This consideration comes as Nottingham City Council proposes a staggering 400 per cent increase in rent.
The club has been in ongoing disputes with the council regarding the rent and lease of the City Ground, their home since 1898.
When Nottingham Forest submitted redevelopment plans for the City Ground, the council, owning the land, suggested increasing the rent from £250,000 (AU$479,261) to over £1 (AU$1,917,045)million annually, according to Inside World Football.
To prevent Marinakis from moving, the council has offered Forest the option to purchase the City Ground’s freehold for £10 million.
Marinakis is now weighing two options: expanding the City Ground from 30,000 to 40,000 seats after purchasing the freehold or constructing a new 50,000-seater stadium with an adjacent training complex in Toton, on the city’s outskirts.
The preferred expansion method involves demolishing and rebuilding the Peter Taylor Stand. This plan was central to Forest’s multimillion-pound project to overhaul the stadium, announced nearly five years ago, but construction has yet to begin.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Marinakis stated, “The stadium and training ground are not befitting the status and ambitions of the club. [A move] will change the history in years to come of the region and the team for our supporters. It’ll be hard to leave City Ground, but in an age when revenue streams dictate success on the pitch, there’s no doubt moving to a bigger facility will set the club on the right path. Over the past 10 years, the city of Nottingham has lacked the confidence and ambition of the other big regional cities of Manchester and Birmingham.”
A potential move from Trentside could create a rift with fans, as the City Ground remains in good condition without any significant need for repairs that would necessitate relocation, unlike the situation with Manchester United’s home.
