Nottingham Forest have reportedly drawn up plans to increase the City Ground capacity above 30,000 by taking inspiration from the Stadium 974 used in the Qatar World Cup.
The club are looking to provide a temporary seating area that will be built on shipping containers, taking inspiration from the ones used on the Stadium 974. According to The Athletic, filling in the corners at the Trent End with a new structure based on the World Cup stadium in Doha is under consideration.
The stadium was built on 974 recycled shipping containers. However, plans are said to be at an “early stage” and no decision has been finalised about when the development will start.
With that said, it is believed that no planning permission is required, and work could begin before Christmas. The idea had been pencilled in at the start of the season when Forest’s hierarchy tried to find ways of taking the capacity above 30,000.
However, Forest’s newly appointed chairman Tom Cartledge came up with the idea to introduce additional seats by taking inspiration from the Stadium 974 project which would make another 500 seats available to fans.
The club’s plans to increase their capacity were initially announced in February 2019, but it has been hit with delays. But there is hope from Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis that the change in chairman will accelerate those plans to take the capacity up to 35,000.
Forest’s highest attendance in the Premier League came against Arsenal last season. 29,514 fans were in attendance as Steve Cooper’s side beat the Gunners 1-0. The City Ground’s capacity currently stands at 30,445.