Nottingham Forest’s training ground has been Wilford Lane for more than 20 years. The Reds built the complex to further integrate their first-team and academy squads on the same site.
Wilford Lane is located on the outskirts of Nottingham and offers manager Steve Cooper and Nottingham Forest’s first-team access to state-of-the-art facilities. While their Nigel Doughty Academy – named after the man who saved the club – is the home base of their youth sides.
Nottingham Forest training ground name
Nottingham Forest’s training ground takes its name from its location in West Bridgford. Their complex sits south of the River Trent on Wilford Lane. While the Reds’ site is also just over a mile away from Nottingham Forest’s stadium, the City Ground, which is located to the east.
How many pitches are there at Wilford Lane?
Wilford Lane is a 24-acre training ground with eight pitches available for Nottingham Forest’s first-team and academy. The complex features six grass pitches and two artificial 3G pitches.
What other facilities are at the training ground?
Along with the eight pitches at Wilford Lane, Nottingham Forest’s training ground features a host of state-of-the-art facilities. The Reds have regularly refurbished and redeveloped their complex over the years to ensure their teams can practice in the best environment possible.
Nottingham Forest completed a £1.5m project in March 2011 that saw the Reds erect a two-storey building at their base. It was the brainchild of team manager Billy Davies and provided a new canteen, an area to review previous games on a large TV and ice baths to aid recovery.
The facility also features an anti-gravity treadmill in the gym at Nottingham Forest’s training ground to support their players’ recoveries from injuries. While it saw the Reds build a large changing room so the team could stay connected, having earlier had to use several locations.
Nottingham Forest also announced another round of renovations in December 2019 to build an extension onto the first-team building. It also created a private suite for owner Evangelos Marinakis to hold meetings and host guests. While the building added space for their scouts.
It further extended the physiotherapy room and created a new manager’s office. While they announced changes in December 2021 to create a new two-storey building and enhance the facilities at the Nigel Doughty Academy with further changing rooms, a gym and classrooms.
The work also added a physio room, analysis suite and a lounge for the academy sides. While Nottingham Forest adapted the training ground with a new ‘show pitch’, LED floodlights and dugouts. The enhancements included a new boundary fence to keep a Category One licence.
Nottingham Forest used to train at Holme Road
Before moving to Wilford Lane, Nottingham Forest used the tree-lined Holme Road as their training ground. The Reds now lease their site to Notts County after reaching an agreement over the use of the complex in August 2019. The Magpies moved to the site that September.
What is the address?
Wilford Lane: Gresham Cl, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7RQ