Nottingham Forest are exploring the idea of utilising shipping containers to house additional temporary seating spaces at the City Ground, a move inspired by Qatar’s Stadium 974.
Shipping containers might be used to fill in the edges at the Trent End of the stadium, for which at the present time has a capacity of roughly 29,500. The modifications, which would not require planning clearance, would provide a provisional seating plan for approximately 500 more supporters.
Forest has long wanted to expand the City Ground, and in July of last year, Rushcliffe Borough Council approved the project, which would initially focus on reconstructing the Peter Taylor Stand.
The design is to bring the capacity of the stand up to 10,000, with Forest also planning on increasing the Bridgford Stand as part of a long-term vision to bring the City Ground’s to a total amount up to 38,000.
Forest had planned on starting the work the past summer but The Athletic reported in March that this could be pushed back to 2024 due to the complications associated with the planning permission and other considerations.
The previous season the club made their long-awaited return to the Premier League after a 23-year absence with the club consistently playing in front of sell-out crowds. Forest is seeking short-term solutions to satisfy the high demand for ticket sales, due to the plans to increase the stadium in size were hindered.
The shipping container design is inspired by Stadium 974, one of eight venues used to host matches at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The unique idea behind the Stadium 974 was constructed largely of shipping containers because of the nature of its architecture, it was the first stadium of its kind to be easily dismantled and reassembled in the history of the World Cup, with its name mentioning the number of shipping containers used in its creation of the stadium.
The stadium, which hosted seven World Cup matches, had a capacity of 44,000, the whole structure is to be demounted and reassembled elsewhere.
