Nottingham Forest Women To Become Fully Professional

Nottingham Forest Women is set to become a full-time professional team in 2025/26, the club has announced.

For the upcoming 2024/25 season, the team’s squad will comprise 18 full-time professionals, as well as some part-time players.

As part of a plan to help further grow the women’s team and expand its following, Nottingham Forest Women will also play eleven home fixtures at City Ground next season.

Currently, Forest Women play in the National League North, the third tier of English women’s football. The shift to a full-time professional model comes as part of the club owner Evangelos Marinakis’ plans for the team to reach the Women’s Championship, and ultimately the WSL.

Through Forest’s ‘Vision for Sport’ initiative, the club has also revealed plans for a ‘major expansion’ of venues for grassroot girls’ football, in collaboration with the city of Nottingham.

Forest is doubling down on its commitment to women’s sport, after recently launching a new Netball Super League team to join England’s elite division when it relaunches in 2025.

“The move to a full-time model has been driven by significant investment and the unwavering support from our owner,” said Amber Wildgust, Head of Women & Girls Football at Nottingham Forest.

“It highlights our ambition as a club and our commitment to breaking into the FA Women’s Championship and fulfilling our vision of progressing to the Women’s Super League.

“Alongside this, we are excited about the improvements to our Girls’ Academy, which aims to diversify the talent pool, increase contact time, and contribute to the owner’s ‘Vision for Sport’ initiatives, cultivating homegrown Nottingham talent.”

In other news, Forest will reportedly remain at the City Ground, after agreeing the purchase the stadium land from the Nottingham Council.

The club however since issued a statement, revealing that the agreement is still in progress.

The statement said, ‘Any decision to purchase the freehold will be entirely conditional on Nottingham Forest first being granted the relevant permissions that will allow us to realise our hugely ambitious plans for a significantly larger stadium capacity, world-class hospitality spaces and associated substantial real estate development in the vicinity of the ground.’

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