The Infrastructure Projects

[ToryTom]

Why?

Because the new financial regulations restrict how much you can spend to a fixed percentage of a clubs income. Without a much bigger capacity and massively improved hospitality Forest will not be able to compete in the premier league. Nearly all premier league clubs have either fairly recently moved to much bigger stadiums or enlarging capacity at existing stadiums and upgrading hospitality facilities. Hence Forest plans to upgrade the City Ground to potentially 52,500 capacity and improved facilities. A direction to build a new bridge  over the River Trent before any expansion scuppers that at least in the foreseeable future. It will entail further planning permission, purchasing suitable plots of land, formulating building plans and significant expenditure. In the meantime our competitors get on with developing their stadiums, maximising income as Forest fall behind. It is more than possible that objectors to City Ground expansion know that this direction by the planning authority scuppers the plans for an expanded City Ground. Who knows. Alternatively Forest could find a new site to build the stadium they need to compete in the premier league, which does not have the complications and objections expanding the City Ground has generated. As i say asking the club to build a new river trent crossing probably stops the expansion from ever happening. We need the increased income from a bigger stadium and we are not going to get that at the City Ground. So that is why.

I thought that Ground related expansion/building didn’t come under SCR?

Like when Everton built their ground.

It's an AI response but it agrees with you:

"No, infrastructure costs are excluded from the Premier League's Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) calculations. [1] (https://theesk.org/2025/11/21/the-analys...rules/)The Premier League designed the SCR to focus solely on on-pitch squad expenses like player transfers, wages, and agent fees. This allows clubs commercial freedom to invest off the pitch without restriction"

SCR is based upon income. A 60,000 + stadium such as the one at Spurs generates way more income than a 30,000 one with poor hospitality facilities. Therefore those teams such as Spurs are allowed to spend so much more. I guess that is the main reason Forest are looking to expand the City Ground, only it is not going to happen because of hurdles such as no new stands until a new bridge across the river trent is built.