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Big moments. Local heroes.

Nottingham ForestFootball Club

The highs. The heartbreak.
The people who made it.
This is their story.

Founded
1865
Known as
The Reds
Home turf
City Ground
From
Nottinghamshire
The long read

More than a scoreline.

From local beginnings to the big occasions. This is Nottingham Forest.

An introductory history of the men’s first team, from the club’s origins through 2022. Selected turning points and honours, rather than a complete season archive; later results are outside this edition.

A meeting in Nottingham

Forest began in 1865 when local shinney players decided to take up association football. The club adopted Garibaldi red. Its first FA Cup win came in 1898, the same year that the City Ground became home. Source →

Before Clough’s arrival

A second FA Cup followed in 1959. There were strong top-flight seasons, but also relegation. Brian Clough arrived in 1975 with Forest in the Second Division; the celebrated European years began from that less glamorous position. Source →

Champions straight after promotion

Promotion in 1977 was followed by the 1977–78 league championship and League Cup. With Peter Taylor alongside Clough, Forest then won the European Cup in 1979 and retained it in 1980. The speed of that rise remains extraordinary. Source →

Cups, relegation and the return

Further League Cups in 1989 and 1990 extended the successful era. Clough’s final season ended in relegation in 1993. Forest later spent time in the third tier before the 2022 Championship play-off victory brought a return to the Premier League. Source →

The moments that mattered

Through the years.

  1. 1865

    From shinney to football

    A meeting at the Clinton Arms establishes the club. [source]

  2. 1898

    An FA Cup and a new home

    Forest win the cup and move to the City Ground. [source]

  3. 1976–77

    Promotion

    Forest return to the First Division. [source]

  4. 1977–78

    Immediate champions

    Forest win the league and League Cup. [source]

  5. 1979–80

    European Cup retained

    A second European Cup follows the 1979 victory. [source]

  6. 2022

    Back to the top flight

    The Championship play-off final brings promotion. [source]

Home turf

More than a ground.

City Ground

Forest moved to the City Ground in 1898. The riverside home should not be confused with Notts County’s Meadow Lane on the other side of the Trent.

Read the ground’s history ↗
Club characters

The people behind it.

A few figures from the milestones in this introduction.

The European champions

Brian Clough

Managed Forest from 1975 and led the league and European successes.

Read the source ↗
The partnership

Peter Taylor

Worked alongside Clough during the great late-1970s team.

Read the source ↗
In the trophy cabinet

Reasons to celebrate.

Selected senior honours and promotions. Competition records ↗

FA Cup

Winners
1897–98, 1958–59

First Division

Champions
1977–78

European Cup

Winners
1978–79, 1979–80

League Cup

Winners
1977–78, 1978–79, 1988–89, 1989–90
Behind the story

Good stories.
Proper sources.

Written in our own words, with links back to the records. Last reviewed .

  1. Nottingham Forest FC

    Nottingham Forest: history and origins ↗

    Background to the club, its identity and the people in this introduction.

  2. Football Club History Database · Richard Rundle

    Nottingham Forest: competition record ↗

    Competition records; the honours below are a selection within this page’s stated period.

A growing record

Our first chapter is an introduction, not an exhaustive archive. We credit existing research and will expand the collection as more material is checked. Our editorial approach ↗

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