• All - as you will understand, the forum is exceptionally busy at this time. The admins and moderators simply don't have time to read every post in every thread. Could you PLEASE use the "Report" option below a post to flag any content that you feel we need to be aware of. We'll review everything reported as a priority and deal with it accordingly. Thank you.

The World Famous City Ground - Home of the PROPER WORLD‘S OLDEST LEAGUE CLUB

Future of the WFCG? What‘s your preference?

  • Current site - just replace the BC and PT stands

    Votes: 112 65.1%

  • Current site, demolish the existing stadium and build a new one (with ground share during works)

    Votes: 49 28.5%

  • New Stadium further down the River Trent

    Votes: 13 7.6%

  • New Stadium out-of-town

    Votes: 2 1.2%

  • New Stadium in the city centre (Eastside option)

    Votes: 19 11.0%

  • Do nothing and stay as it is with 30k max capacity

    Votes: 8 4.7%

  • Other (I will tell you in the comments)

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • Total voters
    172
REDDERS78

REDDERS78

Jack Armstrong
Strummer said:
Let me give you an example of the fare available at the stadium of my local side, where I shall be going at the weekend for the local derby against SC Frieburg:

Pizza (€4.50 for a large Detroit-style pepperoni)
Bratwurst (two flavours, €3.80 for a large, locally produced tasty sausage in a proper cob)
Gyros (€5, and fantastic)
Bretzeln and other breaded snacks (from €1)
Steak in a crusty cob {€4.20)
Fries, Chicken Nuggets, and other similar bits and bobs (from €4)
Decent quality local Bier (Stuttgarter Hofbräu, on draught, both in alcohol-free and proper varieties, €4.50 for a half-Liter)
local Hochland Coffee (from the Black Forest, and its really good)
various soft drinks, such as cola and lemonade

And that‘s just concessions within the stadium for the normal fan. I am probably sure I have forgotten a couple of things too. It is all run by one company who do all the catering (including the hospitality areas, which are very nice) and they have plenty of staff on hand so even in busy times (like half-time) you are not queuing long for a Bier.

Of course, there are street-vendors outside the ground too (as everywhere) offering bratwurst, Currywurst, and other street-food, but I am concentrating on the clubs‘ own offerings).

Interestingly, the club sought feedback from members and fans with an open consultation, when they last let out the catering contract three years ago, and took feedback on board to improve what was already a decent offering. They even organised a taste-test with the catering company and a bunch of fans for the new sausages they were to offer (the Stadionrot was developed by a local supplier, especially for the club).

If you provide it, people will pay for it, it is as simple as that. More so, if you offer decent prices and good service. Granted, the Mercedes-Benz Arena is a larger venue (full capacity is 60.000, but the reconstruction of the Haupttribüne for Euro 2024 will take this down to 50.000 for at least this season).
Click to expand...
I can quite easily understand.

You know as well as anyone that things work far more efficiently in Germany than they do in the UK. Here, we put out cones on motorways and leave them for months without any work, always over budget and always behind schedule. I was told that they built 6 new stadiums and renovated another 6 for the Germany World cup, and the total was less than Wembley cost to build alone......and I can believe it. We are utterly useless at the majority of contruction projects.

Thing is, Im not talking about competing with German football Stadia, that will never happen, ever. If we could get the the level of some L1 clubs it would be an improvement, thats how ridiculous it actually is.
 
redforest

redforest

Geoff Thomas
All this complaining about catering is totally justified. It has been the same since the 80s and really not good enough. Properly run could be a real earner on match days and yesterday there were loads more people in the ground well before kick off - what a wasted opportunity, and as others have said it’s so embarrassing!

I will say something though the toilets have improved quite a lot from the uncovered brick walls we used to piss on behind the Trent End in the 70s if you managed to get that far 😂
 
REDDERS78

REDDERS78

Jack Armstrong
football post said:
I'm sure we discussed this years ago as I can recall suggestions being made to use local suppliers for food and drink. I think also mentioned was the club utilising the facilities before the game to encourage people to come along and spend at the ground. With correct pricing and decent products on offer this should be easily implemented. Although I suppose if they can't get any beer in the fan zone we might be asking a bit too much.
Click to expand...
No, you cant keep anything cold when its over 20 degress, well know fact.
 
forestzoe

forestzoe

Jack Burkitt
Eddie Yates said:
Try Harry Arter, he's got f*** all else to do
Click to expand...
He was in the Robin costume, hopefully, actually doing summat for.his £££

The club actually do have, or the means to hire, the little mobile trolleys that hold a keg, as they used them during the Legends event a few years back. Even this as a temporary measure would've been great but i fail to see why they didn’t put draught on the 1 remaining bar open to us in LB during close season. Half a day to run the pythons from the keg store and the pumps just bolt on.

Sent from my SM-A536B using Tapatalk
 
T.B.T.

T.B.T.

Forum Princess
LTLF Minion
When buying pre-match drinks at the City Ground on Sunday the sub-contractor transaction came through as ‘Leicester Tigers’ which threw me.

Thought I’d get bottled water whilst I could but it clearly hadn’t been refrigerated.

It was wet though. 🙄
 
REDDERS78

REDDERS78

Jack Armstrong
Winnits said:
No they’re legitimate concerns :) But in light of all the good stuff going on at Forest it’s the bit I’d have put at the bottom of the priority list this season too.
Click to expand...
What would you put above ensuring people have a drink, something to wipe their genitals with and a bit of handwash?

From a finacial perspective of course, probably cost about £200. New player perhaps?
 
Eddie Yates

Eddie Yates

Steve Chettle
Strummer said:
Let me give you an example of the fare available at the stadium of my local side, where I shall be going at the weekend for the local derby against SC Frieburg:

Pizza (€4.50 for a large Detroit-style pepperoni)
Bratwurst (two flavours, €3.80 for a large, locally produced tasty sausage in a proper cob)
Gyros (€5, and fantastic)
Bretzeln and other breaded snacks (from €1)
Steak in a crusty cob {€4.20)
Fries, Chicken Nuggets, and other similar bits and bobs (from €4)
Decent quality local Bier (Stuttgarter Hofbräu, on draught, both in alcohol-free and proper varieties, €4.50 for a half-Liter)
local Hochland Coffee (from the Black Forest, and its really good)
various soft drinks, such as cola and lemonade

And that‘s just concessions within the stadium for the normal fan. I am probably sure I have forgotten a couple of things too. It is all run by one company who do all the catering (including the hospitality areas, which are very nice) and they have plenty of staff on hand so even in busy times (like half-time) you are not queuing long for a Bier.

Of course, there are street-vendors outside the ground too (as everywhere) offering bratwurst, Currywurst, and other street-food, but I am concentrating on the clubs‘ own offerings).

Interestingly, the club sought feedback from members and fans with an open consultation, when they last let out the catering contract three years ago, and took feedback on board to improve what was already a decent offering. They even organised a taste-test with the catering company and a bunch of fans for the new sausages they were to offer (the Stadionrot was developed by a local supplier, especially for the club).

If you provide it, people will pay for it, it is as simple as that. More so, if you offer decent prices and good service. Granted, the Mercedes-Benz Arena is a larger venue (full capacity is 60.000, but the reconstruction of the Haupttribüne for Euro 2024 will take this down to 50.000 for at least this season).
Click to expand...
What, folk actually went to the ground to taste test a f***ing sausage

That's the most German thing ever
 
Senior Flange Technician

Senior Flange Technician

Andy!
T.B.T. said:
When buying pre-match drinks at the City Ground on Sunday the sub-contractor transaction came through as ‘Leicester Tigers’ which threw me.

Thought I’d get bottled water whilst I could but it clearly hadn’t been refrigerated.

It was wet though.
Click to expand...
Sure I read or heard we're now using compass/levy for catering? They do a lot of clubs, including Leicester and Leicester tigers, hopefully they will start to improve the catering offering all round.

They make my (very nice) lunch at work.
 
thehockleyhustler

thehockleyhustler

Stuart Pearce
REDDERS78 said:
It literally make no sense not to clean it up a bit, non whatsoever. Its a real shame that this has slipped the net yet again.

Also the catering, im f***ing sick to death of how shambolic it is. Yesterday they ran out of water before HT. I mean, its water ffs. Buy 10k bottles of the stuff. Its as if they guess how many they will sell for each game..........Who the actual f*** is running it? Its the same in winter, running out of hot chocolate before kick off etc. Its not good enough. The fanzone was closed because they couldnt keep beer cold???? Its right up there with them not having any hot food a couple of seasons back because they forgot to put the oven on.

Its appaling, Ive travelled away for years with Forest and most Championship teams make a far better fist of basic shit. The staff are rude, dont know how to pour a pint, cant find anything, slow and not interested.

Get a proper catering structure in place and pay people properly, these kids they keep shoving in on minimum wage are just not up to the basics, its embarassing. Is the catering outsourced to someone?

Needs changing ASAP, sick of it now.
Click to expand...
Couldn't agree more.

I wonder if The Supporters Trust have raised this with the club. All basis requirements for a league club let alone a Premier League one.

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk
 
Viktor

Viktor

Bee Gees Fan Club member #00001
It wasn't bad in Upper TE, got a couple of ice cold pints of Madri and then a couple of very cold bottles of water for the game.
 
valspoodle

valspoodle

Steve Chettle
When I was a young lad, all football grounds were crap, made of rusty corrugated iron and concrete, no one in their right mind would buy food in there. Even if they had any facilities.

Norwich City were a Third Division club, struggling along. Then they had a bit of success and also along came Delia. You only have to look at how that ground has improved out of all recognition, with top class restaurants and other hospitality facilities. Whilst we might have won some cups etc, our ground is now the poor man's desert, with no water and cold pies.

It can be done, but needs thought and determination. I have to say that Norwich were lucky in that their ground was in a regeneration area and they had the space to improve the ground in a way we cannot.
 
redforest

redforest

Geoff Thomas
valspoodle said:
When I was a young lad, all football grounds were crap, made of rusty corrugated iron and concrete, no one in their right mind would buy food in there. Even if they had any facilities.

Norwich City were a Third Division club, struggling along. Then they had a bit of success and also along came Delia. You only have to look at how that ground has improved out of all recognition, with top class restaurants and other hospitality facilities. Whilst we might have won some cups etc, our ground is now the poor man's desert, with no water and cold pies.

It can be done, but needs thought and determination. I have to say that Norwich were lucky in that their ground was in a regeneration area and they had the space to improve the ground in a way we cannot.
Click to expand...
Where there’s a will there’s a way and we have plenty of space to totally upgrade the in ground experience- it just needs a little imagination and a modicum of effort - the break for the World Cup could give plenty of time to upgrade facilities, employ a proper catering company, or set up our own, and have a truly world class provision in time for the Chelsea game on New Year’s Eve!!
 
Otis Redding

Otis Redding

Try A Little Tenderness
forestzoe said:
I'll add that the bar service at County's ground pre season was fab. Only 1 of the 2 bars open in our stand, but they were fast, friendly and the offering was decent, including mushy peas lol. The queues moved fast and you got a smile with your service. Take note Forest

Sent from my SM-A536B using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
A bowl of hot mushy peas with mint sauce was always a welcome and enjoyable half-time warmer on cold midweek nights at the City Ground during the '70s.
 
JohhnyM

JohhnyM

Viv Anderson
They could take a few tips from Wembley. Great queuing system, minimal wait (even at half time), beer ready to go, drinks nice and cold, and half decent staff. I imagine their match day catering profit versus Forest’s is massively higher if taken as a percentage of attendance.

Our catering is poor, and not only does it diminish the match day experience, it’s a lost revenue opportunity. It wouldn’t be rocket science to fix, just needs putting on the to do list of someone with authority, accountability and aptitude.

And having had the ground closed all summer, couldn’t they have at least got the decorators in?
 
M

MaxiRobriguez

Bob McKinlay
Is the catering still outsourced to a 3rd party?
 
Any Time Now

Any Time Now

Grenville Morris
Out of curiosity, how do you think the average fan will take to an improved catering service (managed internally) at a substantially higher cost?
 
NFFC_Josh

NFFC_Josh

Grenville Morris
They had ran out of Beer where I was 30 mins before kick off because they didn't change the barrel. I don't know who was organising but there were a couple of blokes in suits looking very annoyed, the staff were all over the place.
 
I

incident

Viv Anderson
Any Time Now said:
Out of curiosity, how do you think the average fan will take to an improved catering service (managed internally) at a substantially higher cost?
Click to expand...
I think there's two different markets to consider here. Those that actually buy stuff and those that don't.

I suspect that at this point the majority of average fans avoid the in-ground catering entirely. So improving the quality of the offer can only help tempt them into making a purchase. There's already plenty of people spending more than the in-ground catering costs in the various pubs/bars/cafes/takeaways around the ground before every game and at least some of them could be tempted into the ground if the offering and experience was right.

Those that do buy the food in the ground - I can't speak for them. I don't understand them.
 
Notcher

Notcher

Stuart Pearce
My mate and his young lad who I went with were sat in the upper clough went for drinks at half time as they were both absolutely gasping. They had run out of soft drinks and water, their actual suggestion for his young lad was beer or an energy drink!! Totally unacceptable

Sent using Tapatalk
 
I'm Red Till Dead

I'm Red Till Dead

Stuart Pearce
DizzyBala said:
Anyone else just willing to volunteer to tidy the old girl up a bit.
Like they've done a good job with the necessary renovations for the Premierleague but there's chipped paint on the stands, cobwebs and all kinds of shit on the seats and such.

I'd go down and pick up a paintbrush if they gave me some credit or something.
Click to expand...
It's been done before...

(Nottingham Evening Post, Wednesday, 11 August, 1926)

Nottingham Forest F. C. Supporters’ Club are a live body nowadays, and began their self-appointed task of repainting the City Ground last night, when a number of enthusiastic members, armed with paint cans and brushes, got to work on the A, B and C stands. By the time the work is completed, the whole front of these stands and the iron supports of the roof will have been freshly painted, and also the entire fencing
and railings surrounding the playing piece.

The re-roofing of the stand on the popular side, which has also been shouldered by the Supporters’ Club, will be let to tender, but the whole of the expense incurred will be borne by them, and they are also undertaking various repairs to the ground. The secretary of the club is Mr. W. Jarvis.
 
valspoodle

valspoodle

Steve Chettle
I'm Red Till Dead said:
It's been done before...

(Nottingham Evening Post, Wednesday, 11 August, 1926)

Nottingham Forest F. C. Supporters’ Club are a live body nowadays, and began their self-appointed task of repainting the City Ground last night, when a number of enthusiastic members, armed with paint cans and brushes, got to work on the A, B and C stands. By the time the work is completed, the whole front of these stands and the iron supports of the roof will have been freshly painted, and also the entire fencing
and railings surrounding the playing piece.

The re-roofing of the stand on the popular side, which has also been shouldered by the Supporters’ Club, will be let to tender, but the whole of the expense incurred will be borne by them, and they are also undertaking various repairs to the ground. The secretary of the club is Mr. W. Jarvis.
Click to expand...
The days of an active Supporters Club.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom