Nottingham Forest Women to go full-time professional as Evangelos Marinakis pledges major investment in women's sport
- Full-time model aims to target Championship then WSL future for Forest Women
- All eleven Women’s home league fixtures to be played at The City Ground
- Major investment in medical, training facilities and support services for Women's team
- Expansion of grassroots facilities to remove barriers to access and opportunity for girls
Nottingham Forest Women will become a full-time professional football club from the start of the 2025/26 season as owner Evangelos Marinakis sets out his ambitious vision to see Forest compete in the elite divisions in both the Men’s and Women’s game.
The major commitment to accelerate the growth of the women's game at Forest comes just weeks after the launch of Nottingham Forest Netball, who will play in the Netball Super League, England's top-tier.
For the 2024/25 football season, Forest Women's first team will comprise of 18 full-time professional players and a small number of part-time players as the club transitions to a fully professional squad by 2025.
The bold vision will also see Forest Women play eleven home games next season at The City Ground, providing the club and its fans with first-class facilities whilst allowing for significant growth in the supporter base for the Women's team.
In an ambitious move that follows the launch of Nottingham Forest Netball last month, today’s announcement marks another major step forward, celebrating the power of women’s sport and the club’s vision for gender parity and equality of opportunity at all levels.
The full-time model will significantly increase the overall contact time with the squad, allowing for enhanced training and learning opportunities and access to elite medical, nutritional, recovery and support services.
Paid subscriptions to the Girls’ Academy will also be scrapped in a move that delivers parity with the Boys’ Academy. Furthermore, contact time with Academy players will markedly increase to meet FIFA’s recommendations for optimal talent development.
Alongside this, the club will embark on a major expansion of grassroots girls’ football venues within the city of Nottingham as part of its ‘Vision for Sport’ initiative. The aim is to allow every girl with ambitions of a career playing for Nottingham Forest to have the same opportunities as boys have enjoyed for many years.
Central to the club’s grassroots expansion plans will be a focus on establishing venues in under-served inner-city areas of Nottingham, where a scarcity of facilities has been a barrier to participation.
It is hoped that broadening community provision will improve accessibility, diversify the homegrown talent pool and provide greater access to health and fitness opportunities across the community for every young girl.
Welcoming the news, Nottingham Forest’s Head of Women & Girls Football, Amber Wildgust said: "The move to a full-time model has been driven by significant investment and the unwavering support from our owner.
“It highlights our ambition as a club and our commitment to breaking into the FA Women's Championship and fulfilling our vision of progressing to the Women's Super League.
“Alongside this, we are excited about the improvements to our Girls' Academy, which aims to diversify the talent pool, increase contact time, and contribute to the owner's ‘Vision for Sport’ initiatives, cultivating homegrown Nottingham talent.
“It is an exciting time at the club for women's and girls' sports as we embark on this ambitious step alongside the Nottingham Forest Netball team.”