Museum debut at City Ground as Reds return against Palace
PROUD HISTORY ON SHOW, INCLUDING CHANCE TO SEE TWO EUROPEAN CUPS
THIS weekend will see the launch of a new Nottingham Forest museum at the City Ground.
The club are “putting the finishing touches” to the museum, which will open on Saturday to coincide with the team’s return to action after the international break. Situated in the stadium’s Trent End, it will also be used to incorporate projects tied to owner Evangelos Marinakis’ “vision for enhanced fan engagement initiatives”.
The museum will be a showcase for Forest’s rich history and will be packed with special memorabilia. Notable exhibits will include Reds great Brian Clough’s famous green jumper, match-worn shirts from Forest legends and the play-off final trophy.
The club are also launching a new stadium tour experience which will culminate in a visit to the museum. Fans will also be able to view the Reds’ two European Cups in the boardroom as part of the behind the scenes tour, while they will also get to see the players’ dressing rooms and the press conference room.
Forest plan to use the museum to host a special calendar of events. They plan to put on talks with club legends, themed events to celebrate significant dates in the Reds’ history and Q&AS with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and his players.
A new retail store will be open on match days at the entrance to the museum. And Forest view the museum as a space which can also be used for various community and charity activities, allowing groups to hold meetings and events there.
The club say: “A key element of owner Evangelos Marinakis’ vision for these new projects will be the introduction of an educational programme for Nottinghamshire schools, youth clubs and community groups to learn more about the history, present and future of our famous club.
“The educational tours will provide students with an enriching experience, combining football history with educational insights, aligning with the school curriculum.”
Nuno’s side host Crystal Palace at the City Ground on Saturday. They go into the game having dropped into the bottom three after being hit with a four-point deduction for breaching financial rules.
LAWYER Matthew Stanbury, who represented the Everton Fan Advisory Board in their club’s successful appeal against their initial 10-point deduction, says Nottingham Forest fans should not expect their sanction to be overturned.
On Monday, it was confirmed that Forest have decided to appeal their four-point penalty, which was initially reduced from six due to ‘exceptional co-operation’ with the Premier League.
The club had made it clear that they were nevertheless “extremely disappointed” with the outcome of the independent panel upon its publication.
Their decision to appeal could potentially take the case beyond the end of the season, meaning final day standings might not indicate who is ultimately relegated.
The four-point sanction has sunk Forest into the bottom three with nine Premier League matches to go, with Luton Town a point ahead. Stanbury has his doubts about Forest’s decision to appeal and believes it is ambitious to expect the deduction to shrink.
Taking to X, he said of Forest’s appeal: “Not a chance that the Appeal Board, having given EFC 6 points, is overturning the decision.”
Forest have always admitted they had broken Premier League Profit & Sustainability Rules, breaching their loss cap by £34.5m.
Their deficit limit stood at £61m, rather than £105m, given that two of the three years in the previous cycle were spent under Championship regulations.
The appeals process for both their case and Everton’s second batch of charges – should one come from the Toffees – must be concluded by May 24, five days after the end of the campaign.
There is the possibility that the appeals board deems the Premier League’s four-point sanction as too lenient so Forest could see their deduction increase.