The City Ground is the home of Nottingham Forest, a historic stadium on the banks of the River Trent with a capacity of around 30,400 and a place in football history few grounds can match. Demand for City Ground tickets has surged since Forest returned to the Premier League and then to Europe, and the compact, atmospheric ground fills for the visits of Liverpool, Manchester United and the other big clubs. This is where a small East Midlands club, under the legendary Brian Clough, conquered Europe, and that heritage still charges the air on a big matchday. 1BoxOffice is a verified secondary marketplace established in 2006, with seat-level detail at checkout and a 150% money-back guarantee if a ticket fails to grant entry on matchday.
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This guide is written for the supporter making the trip, not the browser. It covers the walk across the river from Nottingham station, how the four stands are arranged, where away fans sit, the bag rules and digital tickets, the riverside pubs of West Bridgford, and the history of a club that won two European Cups from a ground beside the Trent. By the end you should know how a Nottingham Forest matchday runs.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | The City Ground |
| Address | Pavilion Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5FJ |
| Capacity | Around 30,400 |
| Opened | 3 September 1898 |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Home Club | Nottingham Forest |
| Record Attendance | 49,946 (Forest v Manchester United, October 1967) |
| Location | On the banks of the River Trent, West Bridgford |
| Nearest Station | Nottingham, a short walk across the river |
| Nearest Ground | Meadow Lane, around 300 yards away |
The City Ground sits just across the River Trent from the centre of Nottingham, in West Bridgford, which makes it one of the more accessible grounds in the Premier League. Most supporters reach it on foot from the station or the city centre, or by tram and a short walk. The riverside setting, with the cricket ground and Notts County's Meadow Lane close by, means the whole area buzzes on a matchday.
Nottingham railway station is around a fifteen to twenty-minute walk from the ground, over the river via London Road and Trent Bridge, and it is the arrival point for most visitors coming from further afield. The station is on the main lines from London, Birmingham, Sheffield and beyond, so it connects the ground to the national network. The walk from the station to the City Ground is flat and straightforward, passing close to the cricket ground on the way.
The Nottingham Express Transit tram network serves the railway station and the city centre, from where the ground is a short walk across the river. Local buses also run towards West Bridgford and the Trent Bridge area from the city centre. For visitors staying in the centre, the walk over the bridge is usually quicker than working out the bus, and it is part of the matchday experience by the river.
Walking is the natural way to the City Ground. From the city centre it is around a 25-minute stroll down to the river and across Trent Bridge, and from the station it is shorter still. The route along the Trent is pleasant on a dry day, and walking avoids the matchday congestion on the roads and the queues for transport afterwards, when the whole crowd leaves at once.
Drivers reach the area from the M1 at junctions 24 or 25 and the A52, but parking near the ground is very limited and West Bridgford operates residential parking restrictions on matchday that are enforced. There is no large stadium car park, so the practical approach is to park in the city centre or at a park-and-ride site on the tram and walk in. Given the short distances and the restrictions, most visitors find public transport far less stressful than driving.
Parking around the City Ground is difficult, as the ground sits in a built-up riverside area with residential parking schemes in West Bridgford that are actively enforced on matchday. There is no major stadium car park, so casual parking near the ground risks a fine. The sensible options are the city-centre car parks across the river, within a walk of the ground, or a park-and-ride site on the Nottingham tram followed by the short walk from the centre. For most supporters the train, tram or a walk from a central car park is easier than trying to park close to the turnstiles.
The City Ground is a tight, traditional four-stand ground, with the stands close to the pitch and the river running right behind one side, which gives it a distinctive character and a strong atmosphere for its size. The stands vary in age and height, and each has its own name drawn from the club's history. A small temporary stand has also stood in one corner in recent seasons.
The Trent End, behind the goal nearest the river, is the home of the most vocal Nottingham Forest support, where the singing and the colour come from on a matchday. Rebuilt in the 1990s, it is the section to target for the fullest home atmosphere, and it drives the noise that makes the compact ground feel bigger than its size.
The Brian Clough Stand is a main side of the ground, named after the manager who led Forest to their greatest triumphs and built with the money those triumphs brought in. It holds premium and hospitality seating and gives a strong elevated view along the length of the pitch, carrying the higher-priced seats and the best facilities.
The Peter Taylor Stand, named after Clough's great assistant, is the historic main stand on the opposite side and the focus of the club's redevelopment plans. The Bridgford Stand, behind the far goal, houses the family area and, in a section, the visiting supporters. Together the four stands wrap the pitch closely, so there are few poor views in this traditional ground.
Away supporters are allocated a section of the Bridgford Stand behind the goal, with the size set for each fixture and expanded for cup ties and larger followings. The family area is also in the Bridgford Stand, with age rules set per match. As an older, traditional ground, the City Ground has more limited accessibility than a new build, though there is provision for supporters with disabilities and the planned redevelopment is set to improve it. Supporters with access requirements should contact the club before the match to confirm what is available and to arrange seating. The table below matches a section to what you want from the day.
| Priority | Recommended Sections |
|---|---|
| Atmosphere | Trent End, behind the goal |
| Tactical overview | Brian Clough Stand, central rows |
| Close to pitch | Front rows of the long sides |
| Families | Bridgford Stand family area (confirm age rule at purchase) |
| Budget-friendly | Corners and upper rows behind the goals |
| Away fans | Designated section of the Bridgford Stand |
| Accessibility | Designated positions by arrangement with the club |
Nottingham has a mild but wet East Midlands climate, so rain is a real possibility through much of the season, and the riverside setting can make the ground feel damp and misty on a cold night. The stands cover the seating, which keeps most seats dry, though wind off the Trent can carry rain into the front rows on an exposed side in bad weather. For an autumn or winter fixture a warm layer and a waterproof are sensible, since evenings by the river turn cold. Umbrellas are not usually permitted inside, so a hooded jacket is the better choice.
The City Ground runs a bag policy in line with Premier League grounds, so the sensible approach is to travel light. Bags larger than A4 size are generally not permitted, so a small bag is fine but a rucksack or holdall is not, and there is no large-bag store at the ground. All bags are searched on entry. Prohibited items include bottles, cans, alcohol brought from outside, pyrotechnics and flares, and any object judged dangerous. Because the exact rules can change, check the guidance attached to your ticket before matchday and arrive early to clear the search, particularly for a sell-out against one of the big clubs.
The City Ground has one of the best pub scenes of any ground in the country right on its doorstep, thanks to the bars of West Bridgford and the Trent Bridge area, with the city centre a short walk across the river as well. This is a ground where the pre-match hours in the local pubs are a genuine part of the day.
The Trent Bridge Inn, a large pub beside the cricket ground, is one of the best-known matchday spots, along with the Southbank Bar and the Larwood and Voce nearby in West Bridgford. The streets around Trent Bridge and Central Avenue have plenty more bars and cafes, and the area fills with supporters before a match. Because the ground is so central, the choice of places to eat and drink within a short walk is far wider than at an out-of-town stadium.
Across the river, Nottingham city centre has a lively pub and bar scene, from the historic Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem carved into the castle rock to the many bars around the Lace Market and the Market Square. Away supporters commonly use the city-centre pubs before walking over to the ground, and the compact city makes a pre-match session easy to arrange either side of the river.
Inside the arena the concourses serve the usual British matchday fare of pies, hot dogs, burgers and drinks, with card and contactless payment. Prices are typical of a Premier League ground. For a fuller meal, eat in West Bridgford or the city centre beforehand, where the choice runs from traditional pubs to a wide range of restaurants, then walk the short distance to the ground.
Nottingham Forest use digital ticketing, so for most fixtures the barcode sits in your phone wallet or the club's app and is scanned at the turnstile. Load the ticket, charge your phone and turn the screen brightness up before you reach the entrance, since a saved screenshot can fail to scan when a barcode refreshes. Turnstiles usually open around an hour and a half to two hours before kick-off. With a bag search and a sell-out crowd, the entrances build up in the last half hour, so aim to be at the ground in good time rather than joining the final rush across the bridge.
Leaving is straightforward because the ground is close to the city and the station, though the crowd moves at once after a sell-out.
Most supporters walk back across the river towards the city centre and the station, which spreads the crowd out and avoids the queues. Nottingham station is a fifteen to twenty-minute walk, and the flat route means it is the easiest way clear of the ground after a big match. On a dry evening the walk back along the Trent is a pleasant way to wind down.
The tram from the city centre and the local buses run back through Nottingham once you cross the river, and taxis collect from the surrounding streets, though all are busy straight after the final whistle. Walking into the centre before catching onward transport usually beats waiting in the crowd by the ground.
With the pubs of West Bridgford and Trent Bridge right by the ground, the simplest way to beat the post-match squeeze is to settle into one of them, such as the Trent Bridge Inn or the Southbank Bar, and let the crowd thin before travelling on. The riverside location means there is always somewhere close to round off the day.
The City Ground opened on 3 September 1898 and has been the home of Nottingham Forest ever since, one of the oldest continuously used grounds in English football. It sits on the banks of the River Trent, around 300 yards from Meadow Lane, the home of Notts County, making the two the closest professional football grounds in England, with the Trent Bridge cricket ground close by as well. The stadium set its record attendance of 49,946 for the visit of Manchester United in October 1967, in the era of the old terraces.
Its place in football history was sealed in the late 1970s and early 1980s under the management of Brian Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor, after whom two of the stands are named. Clough took Forest from the second tier to the First Division title in 1978 and then to back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, one of the most remarkable achievements the game has seen, and the money those triumphs brought in funded the building of the Brian Clough Stand. That heritage remains the beating heart of the club's identity.
After decades away from the top, Nottingham Forest returned to the Premier League in 2022 and then, on the back of a strong campaign, back to European football, bringing big nights back to the City Ground for a new generation. The traditional riverside ground, with its tight stands and passionate Trent End, has once again become a stage for the biggest clubs in the game.
The City Ground's greatest era was defined by the European nights of the Brian Clough years, when a modest club from the banks of the Trent took on and beat the best in Europe on the way to two European Cups in 1979 and 1980. Its record crowd of 49,946 packed in for the visit of Manchester United in October 1967, a figure from the days of the great terraces that the modern all-seater ground will not match at its current size. More recently the return of Premier League football in 2022 and the club's push back into Europe have produced a fresh run of memorable nights against the biggest names in the game.
Nottingham Forest have set out ambitious plans to redevelop the City Ground. According to the club and media reports, a planning application submitted in December 2025 proposes rebuilding the Peter Taylor Stand and expanding the Trent End to lift the capacity substantially over the coming years, with figures of around 45,000 and eventually more than 50,000 discussed for the finished ground. Enabling works have been reported as targeted for 2026, but as with any major stadium project the timeline and the final scheme should be treated as subject to planning and to change until the work is confirmed and under way. For now the traditional ground remains the home of Nottingham Forest, its redevelopment a work in progress.
As an older, traditional ground, the City Ground has more limited accessibility than a modern purpose-built stadium, with facilities that reflect its age, though there is provision for supporters with disabilities including wheelchair-user positions. The planned redevelopment of the Peter Taylor Stand is expected to improve accessibility significantly when it is complete. In the meantime, published detail on the exact provision is limited, so supporters with access requirements should contact the club well before the match to confirm the available seating, arrange any companion ticket and check the route into the ground, rather than assuming a fixed arrangement. The central location and the flat walk from the station at least make reaching the ground itself relatively straightforward.
The fixtures that move City Ground tickets fastest are the visits of the biggest Premier League clubs and, when Forest are in it, their European nights. The matches against Liverpool and Manchester United are among the standout draws, and you can follow them on the Forest vs Liverpool tickets and Forest vs Manchester United tickets pages, while the full home programme sits on the Nottingham Forest tickets and Premier League tickets listings. When Forest reach Europe, the Europa League tickets and Conference League tickets calendars bring their own demand for the famous City Ground atmosphere, and cup runs in the FA Cup tickets add standout ties. Mid-table league fixtures are the most accessible and often available closer to kick-off. Secondary-market prices move with demand, so treat any figure as indicative rather than fixed and buy early for the marquee matches.
1BoxOffice is a verified secondary marketplace that has operated since 2006, showing seat-level detail before you pay and backing every order with a 150% money-back guarantee if a ticket fails to grant entry on matchday. The eight steps below cover the process from finding a fixture to tracking your order.
Step1
Find the fixture
Go to the City Ground listing on 1BoxOffice and select the match you want. Each fixture shows the available stands, rows and current pricing before you commit to a seat.
Step2
Check the seat detail
Use the stand and price filters to compare sections. Seat location and row are shown against the venue layout, so you can weigh the Trent End atmosphere against a calmer Brian Clough Stand seat before deciding.
Step3
Confirm the supporter section
Make sure the block matches who you are travelling with. Home, family and visiting-supporter areas are listed separately, and away fans are routed to a section of the Bridgford Stand.
Step4
Review before checkout
Check the delivery method and the kick-off time against your travel plans. Premier League kick-off times often change after broadcast selections, so verify the date and time before you book travel or a hotel.
Step5
Create your account
First-time buyers should create an account to complete checkout and receive the ticket. Returning customers simply log in. An account keeps your order and delivery details in one place.
Step6
Complete payment
All major credit and debit cards are accepted. The 150% money-back guarantee applies automatically to every order if the ticket fails to grant entry on matchday.
Step7
Receive your ticket
Tickets for Forest fixtures are typically issued digitally. Keep the live ticket in your wallet or the club's app ready to scan, and avoid relying on a saved screenshot that may fail at the turnstile.
Step8
Track your order
Follow delivery status and manage your booking through track order. Digital tickets arrive ahead of the match so you can travel with everything ready.
Nottingham is a compact, friendly and affordable city that makes a fine football trip, with a castle, a famous Robin Hood heritage and a lively centre, all a short walk from the ground across the river. Fly into East Midlands Airport, around 30 minutes from the city, or into Birmingham or Manchester with good rail links, and travel in to Nottingham station, close to the centre and a short walk from the City Ground. Card and contactless payment are standard everywhere, and the compact city means you can walk between your hotel, the pubs and the ground. Pack warm, waterproof layers for an autumn or winter fixture by the river.
With the ground so central, many supporters build a wider trip around the match. If you are lining up other fixtures, the football tickets hub, the wider football tournaments calendar and the venues tickets directory show what else is on across Britain and beyond. In Nottingham itself, the castle and its caves, the Lace Market, Wollaton Hall and the Trent Bridge cricket ground beside the stadium all make good use of a matchday in the city.
The City Ground holds around 30,400, with a small temporary stand adding a few hundred more in recent seasons. It is a compact, traditional all-seater ground. Its record attendance is 49,946, set against Manchester United in October 1967 in the era of the terraces, a figure the modern ground will not match at its current size.
Nottingham railway station is a fifteen to twenty-minute walk from the ground, over the river via London Road and Trent Bridge. The route is flat and straightforward, passing close to the cricket ground. The tram and local buses also serve the station and the centre, from where the ground is a short walk across the river.
Nottingham railway station is the nearest, around a fifteen to twenty-minute walk across the river. It is on the main lines from London, Birmingham, Sheffield and beyond, so it connects the ground to the national network, and the tram links it to the city centre for the short walk to the stadium.
Parking near the ground is very limited, with residential parking restrictions in West Bridgford that are enforced on matchday and no major stadium car park. Most supporters park in the city centre across the river and walk, or use a park-and-ride site on the tram. Casual parking near the ground risks a fine.
It can be difficult on general sale, as members and season-ticket holders get first access and the biggest fixtures sell out at a compact ground. Public sales for remaining tickets are limited, which is why a verified secondary marketplace is often the realistic route for visitors, with seat detail shown before you pay.
Bags larger than A4 size are generally not permitted, so a small bag is fine but a rucksack is not, and there is no large-bag store. All bags are searched on entry. Bottles, cans, outside alcohol, pyrotechnics and flares are prohibited. Check the guidance attached to your ticket for the current rules before you travel.
The Trent End, behind the goal nearest the river, is the home of the most vocal Nottingham Forest support and the source of the singing and colour on a matchday. Target it for the fullest home atmosphere. The Brian Clough Stand is a calmer side-on option with a strong elevated view.
Away supporters are allocated a section of the Bridgford Stand behind the goal, with the size set for each fixture and expanded for cup ties and larger followings. The section has its own entrance and is separated from the home areas in line with matchday segregation.
As an older, traditional ground it has more limited accessibility than a modern stadium, though there is provision for supporters with disabilities including wheelchair-user positions, and the planned redevelopment is set to improve it. Contact the club before the match to confirm the available seating and arrange it in advance.
Turnstiles usually open around an hour and a half to two hours before kick-off. With a bag search and a sell-out crowd, the entrances build up in the last half hour, so aim to arrive in good time rather than close to kick-off. The precise opening time is confirmed with your ticket for each fixture.
The concourses serve the usual British matchday fare of pies, hot dogs, burgers and drinks, with card and contactless payment. The bigger draw is the pubs on the doorstep, with the Trent Bridge Inn, the Southbank Bar and the Larwood and Voce in West Bridgford, and the city-centre bars a short walk across the river.
Yes, the family area is in the Bridgford Stand. Age accompaniment rules for children are set by the club for each fixture, so confirm the exact requirement and any child pricing at the point of purchase rather than assuming a fixed rule.
Nottingham Forest run stadium tours on selected non-matchdays that take in the dressing rooms, the tunnel, the pitchside and the club's history, including the European Cup era. Tours do not run on matchdays and should be booked in advance. Confirm the current days, hours and prices with the club before you visit.
Face-value Premier League prices vary by category of fixture, but most matches sell well at a compact ground, so resale prices depend heavily on the opponent. Games against the traditional heavyweights and European nights command the highest prices, while mid-table fixtures are more accessible. Secondary-market prices move with demand, so treat any figure as indicative rather than a promise.
The city centre near the station is the best base, within walking distance of the ground across the river and packed with pubs, restaurants and the castle. West Bridgford, right by the ground, is a good alternative for the pubs and the riverside. Both keep you close to the match and the nightlife in a compact city.
Nottingham Forest issue tickets digitally, so the barcode sits in your phone wallet or the club's app and is scanned at the turnstile. Charge your phone, turn up the screen brightness and load the ticket before you arrive. A saved screenshot can fail to scan when a barcode refreshes, so rely on the live ticket.
It is known as the home of Nottingham Forest, the club that won two European Cups under Brian Clough in 1979 and 1980, and for its riverside setting on the banks of the Trent. Two of its stands are named after Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor, a permanent tribute to the club's golden era.
The Trent Bridge cricket ground is right beside the stadium, and Nottingham city centre is a short walk across the river, with Nottingham Castle and its caves, the Lace Market and Wollaton Hall all worth seeing. The riverside itself, with its walks and pubs, makes good use of a matchday morning or afternoon.
The City Ground opened on 3 September 1898 and has been the home of Nottingham Forest ever since, one of the oldest grounds in continuous use in English football. Nottingham Forest Women also play there. It sits on the banks of the River Trent, close to Notts County's Meadow Lane and the Trent Bridge cricket ground.
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Sources: Nottingham Forest FC (nottinghamforest.co.uk), Transport for Nottingham and Nottingham Express Transit, Premier League and stadium reference records. Information was gathered in July 2026 and may change; check sources for the latest details. 1BoxOffice is not affiliated with Nottingham Forest FC or the City Ground. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.