Nottingham Forest confirm potential City Ground change amid ‘severe sanctions’ risk

Nottingham Forest confirm potential City Ground change amid ‘severe sanctions’ risk

Nottingham Forest have acknowledged that they have investigated the idea of establishing safe standing zones at the City Ground.

In 2021, it was reported that Premier League and Championship clubs would be able to offer licensed standing zones

in stadiums as part of a test experiment beginning January 1, 2022. Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea,

Liverpool, and Luton Town all have such areas on their grounds.

The Reds’ chairman, Tom Cartledge, has previously described the club’s attitude as “pro-safe standing.” And now,

specifics of Forest’s investigation into the possibility of executing the notion have been shared.

READ MORE: Four Forest prospects people are talking about as future looks bright

Craig North, the Reds’ head of procurement and estates, outlined “the work the club have carried out over the past

six months” when he gave a presentation on the subject at last month’s Fan Advisory Board (FAB) meeting. Safe

standing is seen as a way to “alleviate the pressure” from the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) and the Safety

Advisory Group (SAG) with regards to persistent standing at the ground, while also “improving fan experience”.

The club’s minutes from the meeting state: “He (North) took the FAB through the research the club have undertaken,

speaking with various suppliers and clubs. Nottingham Forest have visited numerous Premier League stadia, both

independently and with suppliers, to inspect the various options of rail seating available to the club. Whilst there are

multiple different systems, the two main types of system available are: integrated rail/seat systems or an

independent rail fixed around the existing system.

“Craig added that Safe Standing would ideally be introduced to the City Ground in various phases with the first phase

looking to implement 2,364 seats in home areas in both the Bridgford Upper and Lower tiers, and 1,262 seats in the

away area of the Bridgford Lower as per Premier League rules.”

Supporters’ group Forza Garibaldi have championed the idea for some time. They had a representative at the FAB

meeting in Harry Fish, who led a discussion on Forza’s previous research.

Their notes from the meeting state: “We are encouraging Forest to install the legitimate rail seating which involves

an entire new frame and flush seating, and we presented a short piece within the meeting showcasing the importance

of this solution being the chosen type at the City Ground. The case of Everton was also discussed, who are future

proofing their new stadium by installing rail seating which could allow the capacity of the new stand to change from

13,000 to 20,000 if certain factors are met and legislation allows. Clearly, given capacity restrictions at the City

Ground this is a much better prospect rather than installing rails into existing seats which will only absorb more

space.

“We welcomed the chance to distribute our previous presentation to the FAB, and we also noted recent progress

made by Luton who increased their attendance by 800 by installing a bespoke rail seated solution. We hope Forest

can also take this dynamic approach to maximise capacity but also enhance the supporter experience.

“Ultimately Forest are seemingly still in the research stage and will need to (as with all decisions at the club) find the

most appropriate cost benefit solution. We would oppose safe standing being funded via enhanced pricing in these

areas, and do not believe the club would have an appetite to do this, regardless. However, the bottom line is this

would be a significant financial outlay for the club, with no direct monetary return, and so we would welcome further

dialogue about ways to justify the spend to find the right solution.”

The discussion on safe standing comes amid Forest coming under pressure in relation to persistent standing at the

ground. In February, the club released a statement highlighting they were at risk of “severe sanctions” if the issue

was not addressed.

Their summary of the FAB meeting, which was held in the City Ground boardroom, said: “The City Ground, as a

venue, is licensed for seated spectators. Persistent standing in all seater-stadia is a significant safety concern due to

the risk of progressive crowd collapses. The SGSA inspect all stadia and report on all safety concerns. They have

ranked the club in the Top 5 in the country most at risk of a serious safety incident due to persistent standing.

“The SGSA and the SAG have the authority to reduce the club’s capacity if persistent standing occurs in a venue

licensed only for seating. Craig (North) discussed how the club are concerned about the seriousness of a risk of injury

for supporters, but also recognise the need to protect our famous atmosphere. The implications of a capacity

reduction and the effect on the atmosphere is a real concern for the club, as well as the limitation on matchday

revenue.”

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