- Celebrating Elaine's 50 years of service to the club
- She started selling Forest Review 50 years ago
- We caught up with Elaine before Saturday's match
Regular purchasers of Nottingham Forest’s matchday publication, Forest Review, might recognise Elaine from around The City Ground.
Recently, she surpassed 50 years of programme selling; to put that into context, the same year Elaine started on Trentside was the same year Brian Clough became the Forest manager.
She started at just 13 years old simply wanting a Saturday job, but from starting on Trent Bridge, to her current spot close to the away entrances, Elaine has remained a stalwart outside the stadium on a matchday.
Before Saturday’s match, we caught up with Elaine to discuss her tenure, her memories and all things Forest.
“I was born in the Meadows – my Dad’s a Forest fan and he’s on the memorial wall – we’re all born and bred in the Meadows.
“I started down here when I was 13 – I wanted a Saturday job and my cousin put me in touch with somebody at the ground. I worked here and at County on alternate weeks. I was on Trent Bridge for 12 years, then other places for about 12 years when my Dad was helping me, including up on Trentside.
“Then when I was expecting James (Elaine’s son who emailed the club about her anniversary) I moved onto here outside the away end, and I’ve been here about 28 years. You get to know people, so when they come back the next season, they say ‘oh you’re still here!’”
To mark her 50th year of programme-selling, the club has gifted Elaine a ticket to the Reds’ upcoming Emirates FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. She said: “It was a complete surprise! I got a call to say the club were going to gift me a ticket… I can’t believe it. I’m absolutely buzzing – it’s going to be amazing.”
In her time selling the programme and supporting the Reds, Elaine has seen it all, and she has some special memories that’ll stay with her forever.
“My favourite memories are the European years. Playing Celtic down here and seeing coach 178 coming in over Trent Bridge was absolutely fantastic. Going to Wembley three years on the trot, taking my brother with me. Garry Birtles scoring the winner, that was amazing.
“My big idol was Colin Barrett - he scored the winner against Liverpool to knock them out of the European Cup on a Wednesday night. It was absolutely brilliant, and he was my idol. His wife was my teacher at school, and he used to pick her up from school. One of the girls I know knows him, and when I was 60, I got a birthday card signed by him - it was unbelievable.”
The City Ground has changed considerably in her time selling Forest Review, but one thing has remained a constant, the atmosphere.
“The atmosphere has been second to none. It makes the hairs on your arms stand up, it really does. Even as old as I am now, you get a right buzz – coming down on a matchday gets the butterflies going. I see people that have been customers and brought their children – now the children have grown up, and they’re coming down with their partners or children, it makes you realise how old you are!
“This is a lovely club – it’s a nice family club, and I don’t think it’s lost that. Sometimes when a club gets so big, you can just become another number, but this really is still a nice family club.”