FOREST HISTORY · Historic event
Sports Zone opens at original home
On this day in 2015 the Forest Sports Zone opens on the site of Forest’s original home.
The Forest Sports Zone gave Nottingham Forest’s earliest home a new community purpose.
Opened in 2015 at Forest Recreation Ground, the facility stood on a site with deep club roots. Long before the City Ground became Forest’s permanent home, the Forest Recreation Ground had been part of the club’s origin story.
The new sports zone turned that heritage into something active rather than purely commemorative. With modern pitches and community facilities, it created a place for local football, education and wider sporting use under the Nottingham Forest Community Trust.
For supporters, the importance was not about a match result or a trophy. It was about continuity. A place tied to the club’s beginnings was being used again for sport in Nottingham, linking Forest’s early history with a practical community role in the present day.
Sources
Forest Recreation Ground records; Nottingham Forest Community Trust; Nottingham Forest official site
Forest timeline
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