THE CITY GROUND - NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1865-2026
Have I said that we need a striker?
OUR HOME GROUNDS
After being founded in 1865, we spent the next 33 years at a mixture of grounds in and around the Nottingham City Centre until finally making our home at the City Ground in 1898. In those years we played our home games at 7 different grounds with varying degrees of feeling at home! Here's the lowdown!1. FOREST RECREATION GROUND - 14 YEARS (1865 - 1879)
Our first home was, of course, the Forest Recreation Ground where we got our name from. More famous now as the home of Goose Fair (since 1928), the ground is north of the city and was home from our founding until the start of the 1879-80 season.Originally part of the southern tip of Sherwood Forest, it's a large open area space and perfect for large crowds which is why we stayed so long, even though we played only 56 games there and also made the occasional home appearance at Meadows Cricket Ground, Trent Bridge or The Gregory Ground.
However the ground is public land and we couldn't charge spectators an entrance fee which conflicted with the advent of the FA Cup, with the FA insisting that supporters pay admission. We played our first FA Cup season in 1878 and our games were either away or hosted at The Town Ground. In order to make sure we have a ground that could allow us to charge an admission fee we had to move.
| Game Type | P | W | D | L | F | A | Total Attendance |
Average Attendance |
Different Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FA Cup | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 400 | 400 | 11 | ||
| Friendly | 55 | 33 | 11 | 11 | 103 | 32 | 3,950 | 72 | 131 |
| TOTAL | 56 | 34 | 11 | 11 | 105 | 32 | 4,350 | 78 | 131 |
2. CASTLE CRICKET GROUND - 1 YEAR (1879 - 1879)
So in 1879 we made the move to The Castle Ground, a cricket and football ground in the Meadows. It no longer exists, having been turned into an area for the train line into Victoria Station as well as housing.| Game Type | P | W | D | L | F | A | Total Attendance |
Average Attendance |
Different Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesbury Cup | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1,200 | 1,200 | 11 | ||
| County Cup | 2 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 5,500 | 2,750 | 19 | ||
| Friendly | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 10 | 13,000 | 1,625 | 31 |
| TOTAL | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 11 | 19,700 | 1,791 | 41 |
3. TRENT BRIDGE CRICKET GROUND - 4 YEARS (1879 - 1883)
Whilst still playing games at the Castle Cricket ground, our larger and bigger games saw us hosting opponents at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground for four years. According to Wikipedia, we were asked to vacate Trent Bridge with very little notice due to Notts County taking up residence, shortly after the Trent Bridge secretary was offered a paid role at County!| Game Type | P | W | D | L | F | A | Total Attendance |
Average Attendance |
Different Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League Tier 1 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 24 | 191,000 | 14,692 | 58 |
| FA Cup | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 15 | 36,000 | 4,000 | 44 |
| Wednesbury Cup | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||
| Friendly | 58 | 35 | 8 | 15 | 148 | 78 | 77,800 | 1,341 | 108 |
| Abandoned | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| TOTAL | 81 | 44 | 13 | 24 | 191 | 121 | 304,800 | 3,763 | 168 |
4. PARKSIDE GROUND, LENTON - 2 YEARS (1883 - 1885)
So, and with only a month's notice, we were left to find a new home and a move out to Lenton was arranged, for us to play at the Parkside Ground where we spent the next two seasons. There were complaints about the distance from the City Centre though and that, along with the slope and uneven pitch, meant another move was in order.| Game Type | P | W | D | L | F | A | Total Attendance |
Average Attendance |
Different Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FA Cup | 2 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 11 | ||
| Wednesbury Cup | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||
| County Cup | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 350 | 350 | 11 | ||
| Friendly | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 49 | 28 | 24,950 | 1,313 | 36 |
| TOTAL | 23 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 71 | 31 | 27,300 | 1,187 | 37 |
5. GREGORY GROUND, LENTON - 7 YEARS (1883 - 1890)
We didn't move far from Lenton though! Our next stop was still in Lenton, at the Gregory Ground where we played 84 games in the next seven years. The distance was still a long way from the City though, so another decision was made to bring us home.| Game Type | P | W | D | L | F | A | Total Attendance |
Average Attendance |
Different Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FA Cup | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 33 | 15 | 48,800 | 4,436 | 28 |
| Football Alliance | 3 | 3 | 15 | 5 | 3,000 | 1,000 | 19 | ||
| County Cup | 4 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 2,000 | 500 | 22 | ||
| Birmingham Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||
| Friendly | 64 | 34 | 7 | 23 | 138 | 100 | 75,300 | 1,177 | 102 |
| Testimonial | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 11 | ||
| Abandoned | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| TOTAL | 84 | 48 | 10 | 26 | 205 | 127 | 134,100 | 1,596 | 119 |
6. TOWN GROUND - 7 YEARS (1890 - 1897)
The Town Ground was in The Meadows which was closer to home and became our first proper ground. We bought the land in July 1890, built a stadium and spent the next 9 years at the ground, with attendances at the end of 1897 peaking at 15,000. Our league history started here in 1892 with our first home game against Stoke City, and we also hosted FA Cup Semi Finals in 1895-96.| Game Type | P | W | D | L | F | A | Total Attendance |
Average Attendance |
Different Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League Tier 1 | 75 | 46 | 9 | 20 | 165 | 97 | 482,000 | 6,427 | 47 |
| FA Cup | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 58,500 | 6,500 | 29 |
| Football Alliance | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 81 | 36 | 62,800 | 2,093 | 39 |
| United Counties League | 9 | 7 | 2 | 19 | 9 | 15,000 | 1,667 | 26 | |
| Friendly | 32 | 25 | 1 | 6 | 124 | 37 | 76,200 | 2,381 | 63 |
| Abandoned | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| TOTAL | 155 | 97 | 23 | 35 | 404 | 187 | 694,500 | 4,481 | 87 |
7. TOWN GROUND (CITY GROUND) - 1 YEAR (1897 - 1898)
So here's where it gets a little confusing. You see, in July 1897, the Town Ground was renamed The City Ground in honour of Nottingham being awarded city status. The new City council then decided to have other plans for the land and offered Forest the chance to move to the south bank of the Trent and have a new stadium that would become...The City Ground. So I've called this ground The Town Ground (City Ground), even though it's just the same ground as the previous one, but it was worth breaking them up because, hey, this is a stats site.| Game Type | P | W | D | L | F | A | Total Attendance |
Average Attendance |
Different Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League Tier 1 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 30 | 19 | 116,930 | 7,795 | 21 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 16,000 | 8,000 | 11 | ||
| Friendly | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1,900 | 950 | 16 | ||
| TOTAL | 19 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 44 | 19 | 134,830 | 7,096 | 23 |
8. THE CITY GROUND (1898 - present)
It's 1898 and here we are at our new home.| Game Type | P | W | D | L | F | A | Total Attendance |
Average Attendance |
Different Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League Tier 1 | 1065 | 505 | 275 | 285 | 1697 | 1190 | 22,281,797 | 20,922 | 477 |
| League Tier 2 | 1253 | 619 | 323 | 311 | 2153 | 1412 | 21,415,665 | 17,092 | 701 |
| League Tier 3 | 113 | 70 | 24 | 19 | 208 | 77 | 2,384,701 | 21,104 | 83 |
| Playoffs | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 142,137 | 28,427 | 67 | |
| FA Cup | 158 | 81 | 42 | 35 | 268 | 162 | 3,770,839 | 23,866 | 550 |
| League Cup | 107 | 70 | 14 | 23 | 238 | 123 | 1,704,586 | 15,931 | 418 |
| European Cup | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 7 | 280,704 | 31,189 | 25 |
| Fairs Cup | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 96,144 | 32,048 | 24 | |
| UEFA Cup | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 227,266 | 22,727 | 41 |
| Super Cup | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 36,270 | 18,135 | 17 | ||
| Europa League | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 113,763 | 22,753 | 35 | |
| Full Members Cup | 4 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 61,232 | 15,308 | 27 | ||
| EFL Trophy | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 9,240 | 3,080 | 28 | |
| Anglo-Scottish Cup | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 11 | 77,170 | 9,646 | 44 |
| Anglo-Italian Cup | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7,347 | 7,347 | 13 | ||
| WWI Initial Tournament | 56 | 36 | 8 | 12 | 120 | 46 | 289,700 | 5,173 | 53 |
| WWI Second Tournament | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 32 | 17 | 79,000 | 6,077 | 31 |
| WWII Main League | 73 | 29 | 19 | 25 | 148 | 114 | 526,053 | 7,206 | 135 |
| WWII Combined League | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 51 | 40 | 173,503 | 5,783 | 96 |
| WWII Wartime Cup | 11 | 7 | 4 | 30 | 17 | 70,666 | 6,424 | 56 | |
| WWII Midland Cup | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1,500 | 1,500 | 11 | ||
| County Cup | 37 | 28 | 3 | 6 | 94 | 40 | 217,604 | 5,881 | 206 |
| Friendly | 46 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 110 | 75 | 248,477 | 5,402 | 261 |
| Pre-Season Friendly | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 55 | 60 | 344,952 | 8,213 | 314 |
| Testimonial | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 33 | 21 | 152,512 | 10,894 | 126 |
| Abandoned | 7 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| TOTAL | 3,069 | 1,540 | 754 | 775 | 5,335 | 3,454 | 54,712,828 | 17,828 | 1,306 |