On Friday evening, we play our penultimate friendly fixture in preparation for the new season as we host the 2021 Europa League winners Villareal at the City Ground (8pm KO), aiming to build on a successful training camp in sunny Spain.
Important Matchday Information
- Supporters who have purchased a Season Card for the 2024/25 season are eligible to one free ticket for Friday night’s fixture, however, Season Card holders who have not claimed their complimentary ticket are unable to scan their 2023/24 Season Card at the turnstile to gain entry.
- All complimentary tickets must be claimed via their online ticketing account. Details on how to claim your reserved seat can be found by clicking here.
- Please note that some areas in the stadium are still under construction as we continue our enhancements to The City Ground ahead of the beginning of the Premier League season. All seats in Blocks T9, T10, Q Block well as seats in Block R (all rows up to and including seat 68) and Block T8 (seat 85 and above), and Rows XA – XX in all Brian Clough Lower Blocks, will not be available to purchase.
- Supporters should also note that the Fan Zone will not be open for Friday night's fixture.
- The Brian Clough Stand ticket office will not be open for this fixture
- This is the first-time Safe Standing will be in operation at the City Ground. Please remain seated if you are not in a designated Safe Standing area.
- Squad numbers are still subject to final confirmation. Nottingham Forest cannot be held liable for any shirt printing should the squad numbers change between now and the fixture versus AFC Bournemouth.
Visit @NFFCServices on X to keep up with all the latest matchday communications.
The brand new home and away shirts will be available in each of our retail stores and online.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ALL FORMS OF ABUSE, HARASSMENT & DISCRIMINATION. IF YOU SEE OR HEAR ANY FORM OF ABUSE, PLEASE REPORT IT TO 80800 AND START YOUR MESSAGE WITH ‘FOREST’.
This Matchday Guide walks you through advice on how to get to the game, what you can expect on a matchday and what you can do to play your part in creating a safe space for all supporters attending The City Ground.
ZERO-TOLERANCE FOR ABUSE OR DISCRIMINATION
We are reminding all supporters of our zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination of any kind.
Forest is for everyone, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment which embraces and celebrates our differences. We will continue working hard to ensure that everyone who attends our stadium has a positive experience.
The Club advocates a strict policy of zero tolerance towards supporters who act or express any form of discriminative language or behaviour towards others. Including ablism, misogyny, racism, homophobia, antisemitism, and tragedy chanting. Any individuals found to have been engaged in any sort of abusive or discriminatory behaviour will be subject to necessary sanctions. This could be a ban from the ground and court orders if found guilty.
We will continue to work closely with the police and Kick It Out in dealing with individuals and applying the necessary sanctions where individuals are found guilty.
To ensure our home is a safe environment for everyone we need your help. The Club has a free of charge Safe Text service where you can report any form of abuse, harassment, discrimination, or anti-social behaviour when visiting the City Ground.
In line with our zero-tolerance approach; If you witness any inappropriate behaviour of any kind, please make a nearby steward aware or you can report it on our free of charge Safe Text number ‘80800’ by starting the message with ‘FOREST’.
Please provide as much information as possible including your stand, block, row, and seat number to allow our Safety & Security team to help you as best they can.
We are committed to Nottingham Forest Football Club being an inclusive and safe space for all fans to come and enjoy watching us play regardless of age, gender, religion, sexuality, or ablism.
SAFEGUARDING
- This is a reminder to all supporters that children age U14 MUST be always accompanied by an Adult aged 18+ when attending games at the City Ground.
- All supporters under 14 will be refused entry if not accompanied by an Adult 18+.
- Children U4 are NOT allowed to attend matches at the City Ground on health & safety grounds and will be refused entry.
- Children under 14 are not permitted to walk around the concourse alone and must be supervised by an adult.
- During the game, children Under 14 must be sat next to the adult with whom they are accompanied.
- On arrival make sure your children are aware of their seat details, emergency exits and where the toilets are situated in your stand.
- Ensure Children wear appropriate clothing for this time of year and have some form of ID on them.
- Report any issues or concerns at the time to one of our stewards immediately. Where necessary our Safeguarding & Welfare Team will provide support.
- It is also advisable to arrange a meeting point should children become lost or separated.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ALL FORMS OF ABUSE, HARASSMENT & DISCRIMINATION. IF YOU SEE OR HEAR ANY FORM OF ABUSE, PLEASE REPORT IT TO 80800 AND START YOUR MESSAGE WITH ‘FOREST’.
PERSISTENT STANDING
Nottingham Forest would like to remind all supporters that persistent standing is prohibited in regular seats at the City Ground for your safety and the safety of others.
The local authority’s Safety Advisory Group has raised serious concerns about persistent standing during our home matches this season.
Despite a number of new safe standing areas being added within the ground, Nottingham Forest would like to remind all supporters persistent standing outside these seats is strictly prohibited.
Failure to address persistent standing puts the club at risk of severe sanctions, including an enforced reduction in stadium capacity on match days. This would have extremely negative consequences for our famous atmosphere, limit the availability of tickets for supporters, and harm our finances and reputation. We cannot allow this to happen.
It is therefore imperative we take stronger measures to ensure compliance with strict stadium regulations. Please be advised that if supporters fail to comply with the requests of our security and stewarding colleagues, we reserve the right to ban individuals from the stadium and rescind season cards, where appropriate.
Please be respectful of requests from our stewards on match days. They are here to ensure the safety and enjoyment of everyone in the stadium and enforce compliance with the conditions set out in our safety license.
The club is extremely grateful for your role in helping create the City Ground atmosphere that is known across the Premier League, and beyond. Let’s work together to keep it that way.
TICKETS & HOSPITALITY
General admission tickets are still available to purchase for this game here.
Tickets may still be available to purchase online for MyForest members through our ticket exchange platform which will be open until 30 minutes before kick-off. Please click here to visit the ticket exchange platform.
Turnstiles will open from 6.45pm – 75 minutes prior to the 8pm kick-off.
The Ticket Office is open from 9.00am until half time.
Season Card holders who have claimed their tickets are able to choose digital, print at home or paper tickets for this fixture. Access will not be permitted using your 2023/24 Season Card.
You may be subjected to additional security checks when entering the stadium for this fixture. Please arrive to the stadium earlier to give yourself enough time to get an additional security required before the turnstile. Please ensure you arrive with the correct ticket and ID if you are asked to prove your age at any point.
Supporters are reminded that is a criminal offence to enter the pitch at any time.
Please read all our safety regulations and information here.
MERCHANDISE
There will be plenty of options to pick up your Forest merchandise on matchday. The Megastore, situated on Pavilion Road just before the main entrance to the stadium, will be open from 9.00am on matchday until kick-off, closed for the duration of the game, and will open again for 45 minutes after the final whistle.
Our NEW home and away shirts will be available to purchase from the Megastore along with additional new merchandise.
Merchandise can also be purchased online here.
FANZONE
The Fanzone is not open for this pre-season fixture.
WHAT’S GOING ON?
At half-time, we welcome Paul Anderson to the City Ground – Paul made 115 appearances for the club from 2008 – 2012. Please show Paul your appreciation.
FOREST REVIEW
A 16 Page edition of Forest Review will be able to purchase from the club shop and around the stadium.
MATCHDAY TRAVEL
How to get to The City Ground
By train
Nottingham railway station has regular rail services from London, Birmingham, Derby, Leicester, Newark, Grantham, Worksop, Sheffield, Lincoln, and Peterborough. The station itself is roughly a 20-minute walk or ten-minute bus ride from The City Ground. When you head out of the train station turn left and walk all the way down until you cross the iconic Trent Bridge, and the stadium will be on your left.
By bus
The City Ground is serviced by several frequent services from across the Nottingham, with the Numbers 5-11 services likeliest to pick-up/drop closest to The City Ground in any direction.
By Tram
There are 7 park and ride sites across Nottingham, find out more about all of them here.
Fans can take the tram to Nottingham Train Station where the NET shuttle bus runs to The City Ground. This is a free service for anybody with a valid tram ticket.
By Car
The City Ground can be accessed quickly and easily from junctions 24 and 26 of the M1, depending on which direction you are departing from. Just remember to set your SatNav to NG2 5FJ.
From the north, leave the M1 at junction 26 and follow signs for Nottingham via the A610 Nuthall Road until you meet the A6514 at Western Boulevard. Turn right and follow the A6514 (‘the ring road south’) and join Middleton Boulevard, which becomes Clifton Boulevard after the Queens Medical Centre.
From the North
Turn right for Riverside P&R if you are heading for the Embankment, or Riverside Way Park & Ride, and follow signs for matchday parking. Continue around the ring road, carrying straight on at the Nottingham Knight Island and the Wheatcroft Island until you reach the Gamston Island. Take the first exit left onto the A6011 (‘Radcliffe Road’) and continue along the A6011 following the road as it bends to the right and continue over Lady Bay Bridge.
From the South
From the south, leave the M1 at junction 24 and follow the signs to join the A453 towards Nottingham and after passing through Clifton, continue on the A453 following signs for football and cricket traffic. Join the A52 eastbound towards Grantham and carry straight on at the Nottingham Knight Island and the Wheatcroft Island until you reach the Gamston Island. Take the first exit onto the A6011 (‘Radcliffe Road’) and continue along it, following the road as it bends to the right and continue over Lady Bay Bridge.
Parking
We have no onsite matchday parking available for tomorrow’s fixture but there is limited parking available at Nottinghamshire County Hall on Loughborough Road (NG2 7QP) charged at £10 and approximately a 5-minute walk from the City Ground.
Road Closures:
Lady Bay Bridge will be closed 15 minutes before full time and for 30 minutes after full time.
Colwick Road will be closed 1 hour before kick-off, opened during the match, and closed again 10 minutes before full time up until 30 minutes after full time.
Pavilion road will be closed 1 hour before kick-off and closed throughout the match.
Trent Road – Closed 2 hours before kick-off, opened during the match and closed again 10 minutes before full time until 30 minutes after full time.
Vehicle access to the Brian Clough and East Car Park via Scarrington Road will not be permitted 30 minutes before kick-off. Please make sure to arrive early if you have reserved a parking space to prevent refusal of entry. We remind you that Nottingham Forest invites all supporters to enjoy the match in an all-inclusive environment.
Please consider all of those around you when standing and report to a steward if you see foul and abusive language, persistent standing, anti-social behaviour, or any discriminatory behaviour.
If you experience any of the above, please report it via text to 80800. Please start your text with the word FOREST and include the stand in which you are sitting.
We hope you enjoy the match!