English club announce major stadium upgrade

December 15, 2025 Oliver Obel

Nottingham Forest’s hopes of transforming the City Ground have taken a clearer shape, with the club preparing to submit a new proposal that would lift capacity to roughly 52,000 seats.

If approved, the project would elevate the riverside venue into the upper tier of English football stadiums a remarkable shift for a ground that has barely changed in decades.

A changing environment for English football

Across the country, stadium development has become almost routine. Clubs such as Portsmouth, Birmingham City and Manchester United have all explored large-scale upgrades, while Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and Everton have already completed major work with the latter two relocating entirely.

The push is not only cosmetic. Matchday income now plays a central role in competitive sustainability, and clubs with modern, high-capacity venues typically enjoy a financial advantage. Forest, with a loyal fanbase and limited physical footprint, have long sat outside that group.

What Forest are proposing

BBC reporting indicates that the club is preparing a fresh planning application that goes far beyond earlier redevelopment plans, which aimed for a capacity of about 35,000.

The updated proposal would require rethinking key elements of the site and expanding well past the footprint envisaged in the previously approved Peter Taylor Stand rebuild.

The City Ground has been Forest’s home since 1898, and for many supporters, the tension between preserving its character and modernising it has shaped debate for years.

East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward acknowledged that history when speaking with the BBC. Fans, she said, have grown used to redevelopment talks stalling. “I think, understandably, there are many fans who feel that they’ve been at this point in the past with talk about change, and they wonder: will it happen?”

Yet Ward believes this latest effort has more momentum behind it. She said she senses “a real focus” from both club leadership and ownership to get the project approved.

Progress after earlier setbacks

Forest were granted approval for a more modest renovation in 2022, but the plan became bogged down in negotiations with Nottingham City Council over lease terms. At one stage, owner Evangelos Marinakis even explored the possibility of building a new stadium elsewhere a prospect that alarmed many supporters.

Talks eventually shifted, and in October the club appointed KSS Group, the design firm known for leading Anfield’s expansion, to shape the updated blueprint.

Local residents and businesses, many of whom rely on matchday crowds, are watching closely. On Trent Bridge and along the riverbanks near the stadium, opinions vary: some welcome the economic lift; others worry about construction disruption and transport strain.

Timeline and next steps

According to The Sun, building work could begin as early as next summer if planning permission is granted. A phased approach is likely, with an initial push toward a capacity somewhere in the mid-40,000s before extending toward the full 52,000.

If completed, the City Ground would sit just behind England’s six biggest football stadiums a substantial leap that would reshape Forest’s long-term financial landscape.

Ward, speaking at a recent pre-launch gathering at the stadium, said the project could deliver “huge benefits” to the wider Nottingham area, citing footfall, business investment and the potential to keep more spending within the city.

A defining decision for Forest’s future

For a club that has experienced both European glory and long spells outside the top flight, the redevelopment represents more than new seating and steelwork. It is an attempt to secure a future in a Premier League where infrastructure investment increasingly dictates who can compete and who falls behind.

Sources: BBC, The Sun