Beautiful on the outside (The City Ground (Nottingham Forest FC))

Member Name: LisaW82

Product:	The City Ground (Nottingham Forest FC)
Date:	19/05/09 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great setting and atmosphere

Disadvantages: Poor away end interior

The City Ground, home of the once European Champions Nottingham Forest, is a place I hadn't visited until a couple of years ago. That was until the fallen giants got relegated to Coca Cola League One and faced my team, Doncaster Rovers. I have to say, upon their relegation, this became the away fixture I just had to go to and I most certainly wasn't disappointed, well with most things but not quite all.

The first thing you notice on entering the area is the complete lack of parking options around the ground and this has led me to go on the supporters coach for the last few visits. Once parked up though, you can't help but be impressed by the setting. The stadium is situated beautifully next to the River Trent and to get to the away end you need to walk along the main stand on the Trent bank. It is a lovely view and puts you in a good mood.

However, that mood changes somewhat as you enter the stadium. I appreciate that elements of the stadium are old fashioned, but you do expect certain standards from a concourse and seating arrangement and I am afraid that the City Ground fails on some of those. I can obviously only speak for the away end, as the home ends may be much better, but the concourse is just ridiculously old and narrow. It is in desperate need of a refurb and making wider too. We didn't even fill it to capacity and there was hardly any room to breathe in there before the game. The arrangements for getting some food and a drink were very old and tired too leading to really long queues and increasing irritance amongst supporters.

Once through the tunnel and into the stand, you are instantly greeted by the prospect of trying to sit in a seat that has little or no leg room of note and this is magnified if you happen to cop for one of the corner seats. It is a tight squeeze to say the least. The tier above is full of home fans which is a little un-nerving and possibly shouldn't be allowed for what is a local derby and has become a bit of a grudge match as we have gone through the divisions together.

The actual stadium once inside is beautiful and oozes Premier League, even if the team doesn't. The Trent End and the main stand opposite the dug outs are terrific and creates a good atmosphere as they keep the noise in and offer good acoustics.

This is definitely a ground I love to visit but I do wish the away end would have some work done on the interior.

Summary: 3 parts of a great stadium