Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, England. Founded in 1865, Forest have played their home games at the City Ground since 1898. One of six English clubs to have won the European Cup, Nottingham Forest currently compete in the Premier League, the top division of the English football league system.
Nottingham Forest have won two European Cups (now the UEFA Champions League), one UEFA Super Cup, one League title, two FA Cups, four League Cups, and one FA Charity Shield. The club has competed in the top two tiers of English football since its admission to the Football League, with the exception of five seasons in the third tier. Its most successful period was under the management of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which included back-to-back wins in the then European Cup in 1979 and 1980.
In Clough's last decade at the club, the Nottingham Forest team won the 1989 and 1990 League Cups and were losing finalists in the 1991 FA Cup Final and 1992 League Cup Final, before relegation from the Premier League in 1993. Upon an immediate return, Forest finished third in the Premier League in 1995 before again suffering relegation from the top flight in 1997 and 1999. The team returned to the Premier League by winning the 2022 Championship play-off final against Huddersfield Town.
Forest's fiercest rivalry is with Derby County, with which club it contests an East Midlands derby. The two clubs have met a total of 109 times, with Forest claiming the most victories (43), the longest win streak (5), and the longest unbeaten run (10) which runs from 11 March 2018 to the present day. In 2007 the Brian Clough Trophy was founded, which has since then been given to the winner of this East Midlands derby.
History
19th century
In 1865 a group of shinty players met at the Clinton Arms on Nottingham's Shakespeare Street. J.S. Scrimshaw's proposal to play association football instead was agreed and Nottingham Forest Football Club was formed. It was agreed at the same meeting that the club would purchase twelve tasselled caps coloured 'Garibaldi Red' (named after the leader of the Italian 'Redshirts' fighters). Thus the club's official colours were established. Matches were originally played at Forest Racecourse, the presumed source of the word 'Forest' in the team's name.
From 2019 to 2023, Nottingham Forest claimed to be the oldest remaining club in the English Football League. In 2019, when Notts County were relegated from the league, Stoke City claimed to be the oldest remaining club, but football historian Mark Metcalf stated that Stoke was formed in 1868, rather than the 1863 date on the club's badge, and therefore Forest was the oldest club. The EFL also stated that Nottingham Forest was the oldest.
Forest's first ever official game was played against Notts County taking place on 22 March 1866. On 23 April 1870, when the team played their first game in league play, the steward of the club was John Lymberry and William Henry Revis scored the first goal. On that day, Revis also won the prize for kicking a football furthest with a kick of 161 feet 8 inches.
In their early years Nottingham Forest were a multi-sports club. As well as their roots in bandy and shinty, Forest's baseball club were British champions in 1899. Forest's charitable approach helped clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion to form. In 1886, Forest donated a set of football kits to help Arsenal establish themselves – the North London team still wear red. Forest also donated shirts to Everton and helped secure a site to play on for Brighton.
In 1878–79 season Nottingham Forest entered the FA Cup for the first time. Forest beat Notts County 3–1 in the first round at Beeston Cricket Ground before eventually losing 2–1 to Old Etonians in the semi-final.
Nottingham Forest's application was rejected to join the Football League at its formation in 1888. Forest instead joined the Football Alliance in 1889.
They won the competition in 1892 before then entering the Football League. That season they reached and lost in an FA Cup semi-final for the fourth time to date. This time it was to West Bromwich Albion after a replay.