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INTER&Co Stadium

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Welcome to INTER&Co Stadium

Opened in March 2017, INTER&Co Stadium is home to Orlando City of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The soccer-specific stadium is located in the heart of Downtown Orlando and was the first MLS stadium to open with five consecutive victories.

INTER&Co Stadium was 100 percent privately funded at a cost of $155 million. It features a 360-degree lower bowl, North America’s first safe-standing supporters’ section – dubbed “The Wall” – and a four-sided canopy roof to keep the noise in and weather out. In Section 12, there are 49 rainbow-colored seats to memorialize the victims of the tragedy at Pulse Night Club. The stadium also houses the Club’s Front Office.

Since its opening, the venue had already seen a number of guest experience upgrades, highlighted by the “Orlando Made” food and beverage program, featuring local favorites for fans to enjoy all that the City Beautiful has to offer under one roof.

To date, the stadium has hosted U.S. Men’s National Team's 2018 & 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, the U.S. Women's National Team in the 2018, 2020 & 2023 SheBelieves Cup, as well as the 2017 NWSL Championship, 2017 NCAA Women’s College Cup, 2018 & 2019 MLS Combines, multiple editions of the Florida Cup, the 2019 MLS All-Star Game, the 2019, 2021 & 2022 Cure Bowl, the Orlando Philharmonic and the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games Opening Ceremony

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Louisville City FC

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Lynn Family Stadium

Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Ky., is an award-winning soccer stadium with seating locations for 11,600 fans and a capacity of 15,304.

Home to Louisville City FC of the USL Championship and the NWSL’s Racing Louisville FC, the stadium boasts 18 luxury suites, premium seating amenities like club and loge seats along with ledge tables, and a massive safe-standing supporter section.

Owned by Soccer Holdings, LLC, the venue is also available for concerts, festivals and other community events.

Visit our  A to Z guide  covering stadium policies and be sure to run down our Game Day Guide before attending a LouCity or Racing match.

Upcoming Lynn Family Stadium Events

Bocce and cars for a cause.

Kentuckiana Friends of V has teamed up with Lynn Family Stadium, NSRA Kentucky Safety Team and South End Power Car Club on May 12 for a dynamic new fundraising event, Pitch In Against Cancer: Bocce and Cars for a Cause.

KFOV is combining its annual bocce tournament with a mega car show hosted by NSRA Kentucky Safety Team and South End Power. Proceeds of both events will benefit KFOV, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to raising local and national funds for cancer research while supporting cancer-related initiatives, including prevention, education and screening.

Bocce is basically Italian lawn bowling. The bocce tournament will have up to 40 four-person teams that will play in Lynn Family Stadium over the home pitch — the technical name for a soccer field — for the Racing Louisville FC and Louisville City FC professional soccer teams. 

The car show will be staged in the stadium’s Purple Lot right outside the Fan Zone, with hundreds of street rods, muscle cars and classic automobiles on display.

Bocce teams are $800 apiece, with payment and registration through  kfov.org . Bocce questions should be directed to Jamison Valvano at  [email protected] .

Admission to watch the bocce and attend the car show is free with a donation to KFOV.

Stadium Sunday Market

Lynn Family Stadium’s Sunday Market — aimed at addressing community food insecurities and elevating local businesses — opens May 19! It will run from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. each weekend through August 18, rain or shine.

Vendors are expected to feature fresh produce, baked items, art, handcrafted goods, food trucks, live entertainment and more. Parking is free for guests. Access to restrooms and seating will be provided.

Lynn Family Stadium’s Sunday Market has room for 75 vendors and six food trucks each week. Those interested in participating should contact Richard Hendry, the venue’s booking director, at  [email protected] .

Stadium Rock 80s

The largest 1980s rock music and pop culture festival in the country comes to Lynn Family Stadium this summer with Stadium Rock 80s spanning August 3-4.

Saturday’s lineup features Great White, Slaughter, Aldo Nova, Vixen, Enuff Z’Nuff, Pretty Boy Floyd and Nova Rex. Sunday’s acts include Queensrÿche, John Corabi, LA Guns, Ron Keel Band and Trixter.

Along with the music, Lynn Family Stadium’s BlueOval SK Fan Zone will be converted to an 80s flashback pop experience complete with a vendor village, photo ops, movie props, cars and memorabilia. Appearances include a DeLorean time machine, Ghostbusters display, giant Rubik’s Cubes and 80s dance party, DJ and more.

Tickets and parking good for both days of the festival and are now on sale at  StadiumRock80s.com . Packages include the Mega VIP Experience that seats you right on the field or Premium Lawn Party Zone access providing the space to sprawl out and enjoy a true festival experience.

Gates open at 11 a.m. both days before the music starts at noon.

Parties interested in vending or sponsoring Stadium Rock 80s can contact Richard Hendry, Lynn Family Stadium’s booking manager, at  [email protected] .

The Women’s Cup

The Women’s Cup returns to Louisville this summer with three names on the global football stage set to join Racing Louisville for the four-team tournament at Lynn Family Stadium.

Italian powerhouse Juventus and South American champion Palmeiras will play in what will be the third edition of The Women’s Cup in Louisville. A fourth international team will be confirmed soon. The event will play out as a knockout tournament over two days, with the semifinals set for Aug. 9 and final set for Aug. 13.

Tickets are available at  TheWomensCup.world . 

Interested in hosting an event at Lynn Family Stadium?

Fill out this form  to check out options at the home of Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC — a one-of-a-kind setting with customizable indoor and outdoor spaces to host any type of event such as a wedding, corporate event, charity fundraiser or walk, meeting, cocktail receptions, and more!

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Louisville City FC: established 2015

Loucity has solidified itself as the nation’s premier second-division soccer club since launching less than a decade ago. back-to-back usl championship title winners in 2017 and 2018, the boys in purple have reached at least the league’s conference final in all nine of their seasons., get our newsletter, our partners.

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World Cup 2018 stadiums: Complete guide to all 12 venues in 11 Russian cities

Here's where stars like lionel messi, cristiano ronaldo, neymar and mohamed salah will be playing this summer.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14, and for next month or so, the soccer world has taken over Russia. Sixty-four matches will take place over 12 venues in 11 cities as 32 teams fight for the right to be named champions of the world. Of the 12 stadiums built or renovated to the World Cup, Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and the Saint Petersburg Stadium will be used the most. Each venue gets a minimum of four games. The lights, the facades the scenery, the designs for each of these stadiums are incredibly stunning.

Consider this a complete guide to every venue for this summer's tournament.

Ekaterinburg Arena (Central Stadium) in Yekaterinburg

• Founded: 1957 (renovated from 2006-2011)
• Capacity: 35,696 during World Cup; 23,000 after World Cup
• Surface: Grass
• Home club: FC Ural Yekaterinburg
• World Cup games: Four group stage matches.

Yekaterinburg is the fourth-largest city, located in central Russia right where Europe and Asia meet. As you'll notice in the image above, there are bleachers on both ends built into the stadium. Those will be gone after the tournament. This venue will host four group stage games: Egypt vs. Uruguay on June 15, France vs. Peru on June 21, Japan vs. Senegal on June 24 and Mexico vs. Sweden on June 27.

Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad

• Founded: 2018
• Capacity: 35,212 during World Cup; 25,000 after World Cup
• Home club: FC Baltika Kaliningrad

Kaliningrad faces the Baltic sea and is bordered by Lithuania and Poland. It's the closest venue to the Europe. It plays host to the following group stage games: Croatia vs. Nigeria on June 16, Serbia vs. Switzerland on June 22, Spain vs. Morocco on June 25 and England vs. Belgium on June 28.

Kazan Arena in Kazan

• Founded: 2013
• Capacity: 45,379
• Home club: FC Rubin Kazan
• World Cup games: Four group stage and two knockout round matches.

The city of Kazan is located about 500 miles east of Moscow. If you look at the image above, you'll notice reflective panels on the side of the stadium. That's actually an LED facade -- the largest outdoor screen in Europe. It hosts the following matches: France vs. Australia on June 16, Iran vs. Spain on June 20, Poland vs. Colombia on June 24, South Korea vs. Germany on June 27, a round of 16 match on June 30 and a quarterfinal match on July 6.

Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow

• Founded: 1956
• Capacity: 81,000
• Home club: Owned by government (CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow and Torpedo Moscow used to play there)
• World Cup games: Four group stage and three knockout round matches.

Located in Moscow, Luzhniki Stadium is the biggest stadium in Russia. It's been renovated three different times since hosting the 1980 Summer Olympic Games and will play host to the World Cup opener on June 14 and the final on July 15. It also hosts the following five games: Germany vs. Mexico on June 17, Portugal vs. Morocco on June 20, Denmark vs. France on June 26, a round of 16 match on July 1 and a semifinal match on July 11.

Otkritie Stadium (Spartak Stadium) in Moscow

• Founded: 2014
• Capacity: 45,360
• Home club: FC Spartak Moscow
• World Cup games:  Four group stage and one knockout round match.

This is the second venue in Moscow and it plays second fiddle to the government-owned Luzhniki Stadium. It's named after Spartak Moscow, the tenant and it plays host to all the Russian national team games. It hosts the following World Cup games: Argentina vs. Iceland on June 16, Poland vs. Senegal on June 19, Belgium vs. Tunisia on June 23, Serbia vs. Brazil on June 27 and a round of 16 game on July 3.

Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod

• Capacity: 44,899
• Home club: FC Olimpiyets Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod is located about 420 miles west of Moscow. How new is this stadium? It was one of the stadiums built specifically for this tournament and it wasn't built in time for the Confederations Cup last year. It plays hosts to the following matches: Sweden vs. South Korea on June 18, Argentina vs. Croatia on June 21, England vs. Panama on June 24, a round of 16 match on July 1 and a quarterfinal match on July 6.

Rostov Arena in Rostov-on-Don

• Capacity: 45,000
• Home club: FC Rostov
• World Cup games: Four group stage and one knockout round match.

Not to be confused with Rostov (that's a different place), Rostov-on-Don is located in the southern portion of Russia, and just 350 miles north of Sochi. It plays hosts to the following games: Brazil vs. Switzerland on June 17, Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia on June 20, South Korea vs. Mexico on June 23, Iceland vs. Croatia on June 26 and a round of 16 match on July 2.

Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg

• Founded: 2017
• Capacity:  67,000
• Home club: FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
• World Cup games: Four group stage and three knockout round matches. 

Krestovsky Stadium, otherwise known as Saint-Petersburg Stadium for the World Cup, hosted the Confederations Cup final between Germany and Chile. It is home to Zenit Saint Petersburg, one of the most successful Russian clubs in the last 10-plus years. The venue is on Krestovsky Island facing the Gulf of Finland  and its most attractive feature is a retractable roof. It plays host to Morocco vs. Iran on June 15, Russia vs. Egypt on June 19, Brazil vs. Costa Rica on June 22, Nigeria vs. Argentina on June 26, a round of 16 match on July 3, a semifinal match on July 10 and the third-place match on July 14.

Cosmos Arena (Samara Arena) in Samara

• Capacity: 44,918
• Home club: FC Krylia Sovetov Samara
• World Cup games: Four group stage and two knockout round matches. 

Located in the southeastern part of European Russia, Samara is the sixth-largest city in the country. It's one of the newer stadiums that opened a year after the Confederations Cup. It plays host to Costa Rica vs. Serbia on June 17, Denmark vs. Australia on June 21, Uruguay vs. Russia on June 25, Senega; vs. Colombia on June 28, a round of 16 match on July 2 and a quarterfinal match on July 7.

Mordovia Arena in Saransk

• Capacity: 44,442 during World Cup; 30,000 after World Cup
• Home club: FC Mordovia Saransk

If you think this stadium looks eerily similar to South Africa's Soccer City stadium, showcased during the 2010 World Cup, you're not going crazy. Home of Mordovia Saransk, the Mordovia Arena broke ground in 2010 and was modeled after the South African stadium. It was actually scheduled to be built before Russia was awarded the World Cup. It hosts Peru vs. Denmark on June 16, Colombia vs. Japan on June 19, Iran vs. Portugal on June 25 and Panama vs. Tunisia on June 28. 

Fisht Olympic Stadium (Fisht Stadium) in Sochi

• Capacity: 41,220 during World Cup; 40,000 after World Cup 
• Home club:  Owned by government 

Sochi, known for hosting the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, is a resort city in southeastern portion of European Russia. Located near the coast of the Black Sea, Fisht Stadium is the southernmost venue of the tournament. It plays host to Portugal vs. Spain on June 15, Belgium vs. Panama on June 18, Germany vs. Sweden on June 23, Australia vs. Peru on June 26, a round of 16 match on June 30 and a quarterfinal match on July 7.

Volgograd Arena in Volgograd

• Capacity: 45,568
• Home club: FC Rotor Volgograd
• World Cup games:  Four group stage games.

The industrial city of Volgograd is located 600-plus smiles southeast of Moscow. Volgograd Arena replaces Central Stadium which was shut down and demolished in 2014. It plays host to the following group stage games: Tunisia vs. England on June 18, Nigeria vs. Iceland on June 22, Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt on June 25 and Japan vs. Poland on June 28.

For a complete list of World Cup stadiums in Spanish, visit our sister site, CNET.com.

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Luzhniki Stadium

Club: none | Opening: 1956 | Capacity: 81,006 seats

History and description

Luzhniki Stadium, initially called Central Lenin Stadium, was built between 1955 and 1956. It was the result of the ambition of the Soviet leadership to upgrade the country’s sports facilities after the Soviet Union had tasted its first post-war successes at the 1952 Olympics.

Works on Luzhniki Olympic Complex started in 1954 and construction of its centrepiece stadium, also called the Grand Sports Arena, in 1955. The stadium got finished in just 450 days and officially opened on 31 July 1956.

Luzhniki Stadium served as the centrepiece stadium of the 1980 Olympics, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics events, football finals, and equestrian programme.

In 1982, a stadium disaster took place at the stadium during a second round UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak and Dutch side HFC Haarlem. In the dying seconds of the match, people started rushing for the exits to make it to the metro before the rest of the crowd. When someone fell on the icy staircases, chaos ensued, and the resulting crush and domino effect killed 66 people.

Until the 1990s, the roofless stadium could hold just over 100,000 spectators. In 1996, the stadium got extensively renovated, which included the construction of a roof over the stands and the refurbishment of the seating areas, which resulted in a decrease of capacity.

In 1999, Luzhniki Stadium hosted the UEFA Cup final between Parma and Marseille (3-0), and in 2008 the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea (1-1).

The stadium was regularly used by Spartak Moscow, lacking a home of their own, until they moved to the newly built  Otkritie Arena  in 2014.

When Russia got awarded the 2018 World Cup , it was soon clear that Luzhniki Stadium would host the final and as a result had to undergo a large redevelopment. It hosted its last football match in May 2013 and closed following the IAAF Athletics World Championships in August 2013.

Redevelopment works entailed the complete reconstruction of the stands, adding a second tier, the removal of the running tracks, and an expanded roof structure. The characteristic exterior of the stadium was left intact. Works were completed in the summer of 2017, and the first football match at the reopened stadium, a friendly between Russia and Argentina (0-1), was played on 11 November 2017.

During the 2018 World Cup, Luzhniki hosted the opening match, three more first round group matches, a round of 16 match, the semi-final between Croatia and England (2-1), and the final between France and Croatia (4-2).

(photos of the Luzhniki Stadium before reconstruction below)

How to get to Luzhniki Stadium

Luzhniki Stadium is located on the Luzhniki Sports Complex, an area of sports facilities and park land in a bend of the Moskva River about 6 kilometres south-west of Moscow’s city centre.

The stadium can be reached with the red metro line 1. Station Sportivnaya, or alternatively Vorob’yovy Gory, both lie within short walking distance of the stadium. Line 1 directly connects with Moscow’s city centre, and the ride from either Okhotny Ryad or Biblioteka takes no more than 10 minutes.

Luzhniki Stadium lies practically adjacent to Moscow’s Third Ring Road. If arriving by car, orientate yourself with regards to the Moscow River and take the first exit after crossing the Moscow River at the bend where the stadium is located.

Address: Luzhnetskaya naberezhnaya 24, Moscow

Eat, drink, and sleep near Luzhniki Stadium

Luzhniki forms part of the Luzhniki Sports Complex and is surrounded by other sports facilities and parks. Its location right on the river Moskva is pleasant on a summer’s day, but there is little around in terms of eating and drinking, which can therefore better be done in central Moscow.

If you’re into a bit of culture though, the nearby Novodevichy Convent is well worth a visit, while the Moscow State University building on the opposite side of the Moskva river is one of Moscow’s best-known landmarks.

There are a few hotels to choose from if you want to stay close to Luzhniki Stadium, most near Sportivnaya metro station, e.g.  Yunost Hotel , Business Hotel Spektr , Olimp Hotel and Blues Hotel .

Click here for all hotels near Luzhniki Stadium, and here for an overview of hotels in central Moscow.

Photos of Luzhniki Stadium

Photo credits: Ben Sutherland & GPA

Useful Internet links

Spartak.com – Official website of FC Spartak Moscow. Moscow.ru – Moscow international portal. Mosmetro.ru – Official site of the Moscow metro.

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2024 Champions League final: All you need to know

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Article summary

The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League final will take place at London's historic Wembley Stadium.

Article top media content

Article body

The best of the best will be crowned on the ultimate stage when the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League season concludes at London's prestigious Wembley Stadium on Saturday 1 June.

This is the 69th season of Europe's elite club competition and the 32nd since it was renamed the UEFA Champions League.

Who is playing in the Champions League final?

Borussia Dortmund were first to confirm their place in the final with a 2-0 aggregate victory over Paris Saint-Germain . They will take on 14-time champions Real Madrid, who secured their own ticket to London with a dramatic 4-3 aggregate victory over Bayern München .

Where is the Champions League final?

The highlight of European football's club calendar returns to the London venue for a record eighth time, and the third in the UEFA Champions League era following the 2011 and 2013 finals.

Wembley has undergone a massive transformation since it hosted the last old-style European Champion Clubs' Cup final in 1992 , the famous twin towers arena making way for a new venue symbolised by the gigantic arch. Boasting a seated capacity of around 90,000, the new Wembley reopened its doors in 2007 and is once again home to the England national side, as well as host to the nation's premier domestic cup finals.

Wembley Stadium also hosted all three of England's Group D games at UEFA EURO 2020 , as well as two round of 16 matches, both semi-finals and the final itself , with the hosts only denied their maiden triumph in the competition on penalties against Italy. The outcome was more successful for England at UEFA Women's EURO 2022, as the Lionesses overcame Germany 2-1 after extra time to become European champions for the first time.

How to watch the Champions League final

Details of where to watch the Champions League final will appear here.

Is there extra time and penalties in the Champions League final?

Yes. If the score is level at the end of normal time, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played. If one of the teams scores more goals than the other during extra time, that team is declared the winner. If the score remains level after extra time, the winner is determined by a penalty shoot-out.

Who is the referee for the Champions League final?

The refereeing team will be announced in the lead-up to the final.

What do the Champions League winners get?

The UEFA Champions League trophy stands 73.5cm tall and weighs 7.5kg. "It may not be an artistic masterpiece, but everybody in football is keen to get their hands on it," said creator Jürg Stadelmann.

The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League winners will also automatically qualify for next season's league phase if they do not earn a place via their domestic league position.

Champions League winner rebalancing

What happens if the UEFA Champions League winners have also qualified for the league phase via their domestic league position?

Lastly, the European champions also earn the right to play against the winners of the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League in the 2024 UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw, Poland .

Where are the other 2024 club competition finals?

2024 Europa League final : Dublin Arena, Dublin, Republic of Ireland 2024 Women's Champions League final : San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, Spain 2024 Europa Conference League final : AEK Arena, Athens, Greece

Where is the 2025 Champions League final?

Why Nottingham Forest may abandon City Ground ‘masterplan’ for a new stadium

It doesn’t take long in conversation with Tom Cartledge, the Nottingham Forest chairman, to realise that the dispute threatening the future of the City Ground has accelerated the possibilities of a stadium move.

“The club continue to be frustrated,” Cartledge tells  The Athletic in relation to Forest’s standoff with Nottingham City Council, which owns the land where the team play. “Neither the leader of the council, the CEO nor any of the commissioners appointed by central government have reached out to the club.

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“Nobody is knocking on the door. Nobody is trying to start the relationship again and say, ‘How do we find a way?’. And in the meantime, other councils and landowners are providing opportunities that we have to consider.”

It is three months since Cartledge spoke to The Athletic about his “masterplan” to upgrade the City Ground into a 40,000-capacity stadium with two new stands bankrolled by the club’s Greek owner, Evangelos Marinakis.

Cartledge showed off the designs. He talked about wanting to create something special and long-lasting at the riverside setting that has been the club’s home for 125 years.

Yet he also accompanied it with a stark warning that the whole project might have to be reconsidered if Forest could not agree terms over a new lease with the council — and that, in a nutshell, is exactly what has happened. Nothing is moving, attitudes have hardened and, as it stands, the entire negotiation is going nowhere fast.

What does all this mean for a stadium regarded as one of the gems of English football?

Well, for starters, the impasse has led to a rethink from Marinakis when it comes to the “corner boxes” of executive suites that were meant to go either side of the Trent End before the end of the season. Work started in February to prepare the ground, including bringing down one of the floodlights and replacing it in a new position.

That, however, has been put on hold. The development would cost up to £7million ($8.7m) and Forest, according to Cartledge, want more clarity from the council “before we spend significant money on capital projects”.

On a wider level, however, Forest’s ongoing dispute with their landlord has left the club contemplating what could, in theory, be one of the most seismic and important decisions in their history.

When Cartledge uses the word “opportunities” he is talking about possible sites where Forest can explore a Plan B — putting up a 50,000-capacity stadium in another part of the city. One area that has been discussed is Toton, six miles south west of the city centre.

The Athletic has been to see the relevant site, earmarked originally for the now-abandoned HS2 railway project. It is land owned by Nottinghamshire County Council. In the coming weeks and months, we can expect more and more discussion about the pros and cons of staying at the City Ground or building something new elsewhere.

“That (Toton) is one of several potential spots,” says Cartledge. “It’s not as easy as to say, ‘Here’s a piece of land, go and build a stadium’. There are highways, transport and connectivity issues. But it’s fair to say we are progressing due diligence on different sites.”

Through the estate, past the Toton Fish Bar, a hairdresser’s called Flicks and some typical Nottingham suburbia, you will eventually come to a mini-roundabout on Epsom Road where you can hear the hum of industry from the railway sidings on the other side of the trees.

The River Erewash is nearby, running along the county border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. There is a Tesco supermarket on the other side of Stapleford Lane, a tram stop and a garden centre, Bardills, that has its own history with the city’s major football club.

In 1898, when Forest moved to the City Ground, the nurseryman and landscape gardener William Bardill was on their committee. Bardill was put in charge of the playing surface and is credited in the club’s official history book for creating a pitch “that was soon recognised as one of the best, even the finest, in the country”.

Today, Bardills looks out on the stretch of dual-carriageway that is named after Brian Clough, Forest’s two-time European Cup-winning manager, and leads all the way from Nottingham to Derby.

And, yes, it feels strange — very strange, indeed — to look down at Toton Sidings from the grassy embankment off Banks Road and try to imagine what it would be like with a gleaming new stadium dominating the skyline and a different set of match-day routines.

“All mist rolling in from the Erewash…”

OK, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. For now, it is only an idea. That idea is in its embryonic stages and, before anything, Forest are acutely aware they need to undertake a long period of consultation with fans, understanding the sensitivities and why many supporters might find it unsettling.

These are always emotive subjects. Some fans might be receptive to a move, others will hate the idea.

Cartledge, in particular, is aware of local feeling, given that he grew up in Nottinghamshire and has been going to matches at the City Ground since the early 1980s. It is all he has ever known and if you want to know why the former manager, Steve Cooper, used to say it “oozed football soul”, there is a 4,000-word love letter here courtesy of one of its biggest admirers.

Critically, though, the issues with the council come at a time when Forest — deducted four points this season for breaking the Premier League ’s profitability and sustainability rules — feel the only realistic way to challenge the elite teams is to generate more revenue.

Uppermost in Forest’s mind is finding a way to do this on non-matchdays — something that has been missing from their ground for many years — and accommodating the thousands of fans who cannot get tickets. Forest reckon they could have sold 50,000 for some games since their return to the top division.

Against that backdrop, Forest’s decision-makers are open about the fact they have to consider every option and, to quote Cartledge, there is “a discussion to be had about, ‘Yes, the City Ground is our home, but just imagine if we did something amazing.'”

On top of that, the club have been re-evaluating everything since negotiations fell through recently over a multi-million-pound deal to buy land off the eastbound A52 for a new training ground.

We ranked every Premier League stadium so you could shout at us

Unreported until now, the deal is off because of what Cartledge describes as “a financial disparity between what we believe the land is worth and what the land-owners are asking”. And that is disappointing when Forest’s hierarchy had drawn up some exciting plans and fully expected it to go through in February. The club readily admit their training ground is not big enough.

So what next? Forest, it transpires, have already started looking elsewhere. The relevant people are wondering whether they should think more ambitiously and take their lead from Manchester City , the reigning Premier League champions.

“Because of the noise being created out of the disruption of whether we stay or go, we are getting quite a lot of interesting things put our way,” Cartledge explains.

“The terms on that (training ground) project are prohibiting us, but other things have come forward that have given us time to think. Where do we want to be? Where are those campuses where we can try to put all of this together in the way Manchester City have done?”

City are the only club in the Premier League who have a stadium and training ground on the same complex — and this is one of the ideas Forest think is worth exploring at a time when Marinakis has set aside a huge pot of money for development.

“Mr Marinakis is incredibly ambitious,” says Cartledge. “If we did something with those two things together — the training ground and the stadium — you do that only once. When it comes to these big decisions, he takes an enormous amount of pride and responsibility in getting it right.”

Another area of interest to Forest recently can be located on the other side of Meadow Lane, Notts County’s stadium, on a large expanse of industrial land where there is an incinerator plant and a waste-collection unit.

It is on the other side of the Nottingham Canal from the Hooters bar, a short walk from the city’s railway station.

That idea has not progressed, however, because the land is permitted only for industrial use. The city council has indicated there is no scope for that to change. That, in turn, explains why Forest have been looking at the suburbs. At least four sites have been discussed, Toton in particular.

Those talks will continue even if Forest, 17th in the Premier League table, drop into the relegation places — but there have to be some awkward questions, too, about how the dispute with the council was ever allowed to reach this stage.

In 2019, Forest announced, via a blaze of publicity, that they had been granted a new 250-year lease. Nicholas Randall, then the chairman, said he was “delighted” to secure the future of the club’s home ground. Yet, for reasons unexplained, Randall did not follow that up by telling the club’s supporters the agreement was never, in fact, completed.

In reality, Forest have continued operating by the terms of their old lease, which has 33 years to run and, before starting a major redevelopment at huge expense, the club need the securities and insurance of a much longer agreement.

“The rent, if you add it up for the next 33 years, comes to about £9.5million,” says Cartledge, who replaced Randall as chairman in August. “The proposed rent the council wants us to pay over 250 years is more than £250m.

“So if we are talking openly about the Football Association’s desire for financial stability and the future of clubs to be secure, it is simply wrong for us to sign up and put this club in a position where we have to pay £250million in rent to stay here.”

Supporters of a certain generation might recall this is not the first time that relations between the club and landlord have been fractious because of their lease agreement.

In 1991, the council proposed Forest’s annual rent went up from £750, as agreed in 1963, to £150,000. In the end, the two sides compromised at £22,000. Clough threatened to quit if the council got its way with a proposal for Forest and Notts to share a ‘super stadium’ on the old Wilford power station.

This time, however, the issue is complicated by the Labour-run council issuing a Section 114 notice in November to declare itself, in effect, bankrupt, meaning the government has sent in commissioners to take control.

The council says it has “a statutory duty to ensure best value for taxpayers”. Forest, however, say it is exorbitant that the current rent is £250,000 and the council allegedly wants almost four times that amount.

Cartledge says he has not had a response to “a very strong letter” he has written to the council to argue that the proposed terms are unreasonable.

Four local MPs — three Labour and one Conservative — have tried to apply pressure on Forest’s behalf but they have found out, Cartledge says, that “the council’s predicament is very challenging and it’s hard for politicians to become involved now the commissioners are running it”.

David Mellen, the council’s recently departed leader, has said Forest cannot expect “mates’ rates”. However, the club’s frustrations stem, in part, from the absence of any real dialogue to find a compromise.

“We had dialogues with some of the junior officers, but nobody senior came forward,” says Cartledge. “That’s important context for the fans to understand. We are not just sitting here in a black hole waiting and hoping. We are trying to be proactive.”

The Athletic contacted Nottingham City Council for comment.

One of the reasons Cartledge was appointed by Forest is that he is the chief executive of Handley House Group, the parent company for four international businesses specialising in design and architecture. One of those is the Nottinghamshire-based Benoy, which has designed the plans for a new-look City Ground and would also be prominently involved in any stadium move.

In the meantime, word has got back to Forest’s hierarchy that the Jockey Club, owners of Nottingham racecourse, had a lease dispute of its own with the council and it lasted seven years. So how long do the club wait when Marinakis is impatient, as well as ambitious, and many fans feel frustrated that not a brick has gone down since the initial stadium development was announced five years ago?

All that can really be said for certain is that safe-standing areas will be installed at the City Ground over the summer and the roof will be solar-panelled as part of a new agreement with E.ON to be the club’s sustainability partner.

“Across all of our projects – new ground, existing ground, training ground; whatever we pursue – the owner is absolutely adamant the club should start to look to a future whereby we have no carbon footprint,” says Cartledge.

“Regardless of whether we are staying or going, the owner feels it is important for the goodness and wellbeing of the world. He won’t let the council delays stop us from doing what is right.

“We will work together on solar panelling and other energy-saving initiatives. And, critically, if the progress on other sites and discussions about where we want to go mean it is right to move, E.ON will form part of the team, looking at how a new stadium could be built off-grid and carbon-neutral.”

(Top photo: Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)

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Daniel Taylor is a senior writer for The Athletic and a four-time Football Journalist of the Year, as well as being named Sports Feature Writer of the Year in 2022. He was previously the chief football writer for The Guardian and The Observer and spent nearly 20 years working for the two titles. Daniel has written five books on the sport. Follow Daniel on Twitter @ DTathletic

Fort Wayne billionaire joins Eleven Park investor group for new stadium and MLS team

A northern Indiana billionaire is throwing his support behind Indy Eleven's plan to build a Major League Soccer-eligible stadium at the planned Eleven Park mixed-use development in downtown Indianapolis.

Fort Wayne entrepreneur Chuck Surack has joined the effort as a co-owner in the Indy Eleven team and an investor in the private development, officials with Indy Eleven and Eleven Park Investment Group announced today.

The announcement is the latest salvo in an increasingly contentious duel to land a MLS franchise and construct a new downtown stadium. In one corner is Mayor Joe Hogsett's administration and an ownership group led by a sports executive with experience in MLS and global soccer. In the other corner is Indy Eleven, real estate developer Keystone Group and their founder Ersal Ozdemir, who spent years lobbying for legislation that would help with funding to make a soccer-specific stadium possible in Indianapolis.

The city was engaged in negotiations with Keystone Group and Indy Eleven about the financing of Eleven Park's stadium but those talks ended in March. City officials told IndyStar that today's announcement does not change anything.

Surack founded Sweetwater Sound, an online retailer for musical instruments and recording equipment, in 1979 and operated it for several decades. The company started as a mobile recording studio. Surack sold a majority stake in the company to a Rhode Island private equity firm in 2021, though he continues to serve as chairman of the e-commerce company.

"It is clear to me that Indy Eleven and Eleven Park represent an unprecedented opportunity for downtown Indianapolis to finally embrace the kind of riverfront development that is transforming Fort Wayne and other cities across the country,” Surack said in a news release.

In the statement, Surack says he's committed to investing his resources with like-minded people to support Indiana's growth.

“The strong foundation of community and fan support, coupled with the incredible chance to transcend sports through neighborhood redevelopment, is why I am joining this prominent group of business leaders from across the state," he said.

Surack joins Ozdemir in financially backing the project. Other investors include Ricker family, Salin family, Traylor family, Hageman family, Heritage Group director Jeff Laborsky, Fred Merritt with LFM Investments, IU Health Fort Wayne President Brian Bauer, and Speedring Capital founder Don Gottwald.

Ozdemir said Surack shares the group's vision in having a stadium at Eleven Park. “The addition of a Hoosier billionaire to an already strong Indy Eleven ownership group further solidifies our Indiana ownership group to bring MLS and the transformational riverfront development, Eleven Park, to Indianapolis," Ozdemir said in the press release.

Up in the Air: Mike Pence asks FAA not to close the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport

Late last month, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced that he is leading a separate effort to bring a MLS team to Indianapolis and build a new soccer-specific stadium downtown.

The pursuit is independent of Indy Eleven's and Keystone Group's planned Eleven Park project that includes a 20,000-seat MLS-eligible stadium in addition to apartments, office, retail, parking and greenspace off Kentucky Avenue on the banks of White River. Hogsett's announcement cast uncertainty on the future of Eleven Park as city officials said the stadium project was not financially viable.

Keystone and Indy Eleven — both founded by Ersal Ozdemir — broke ground on Eleven Park in May 2023 with the aim of building an MLS-eligible stadium that would also be the home of the Indy Eleven minor league soccer team. The city council and Metropolitan Development Commission approved a professional sports development area for the Eleven Park stadium last year.

However, Keystone accused the Hogsett administration of walking away from the project, refusing to submit the PSDA plan and map to the State Budget Committee for consideration and shopping the legislation that Ozdemir spent years lobbying for to make a soccer-specific stadium possible in Indianapolis. 

The mayor's office has already identified a potential alternative location for a stadium at 355 E. Pearl St. — near the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport. Surack has spoken out against the decommissioning of heliport.

The city has started the process of getting a new PSDA approved for that site with the aim of submitting it to the state for consideration this summer. In the city's pursuit of an MLS expansion team, a new investment group reportedly led by ex-Chelsea executive Tom Glick is forming to help pay the team's franchise fee.

Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Alexandria Burris at  [email protected] . Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at  @allyburris .

Sports | Annapolis to host Premier League teams Crystal…

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Sports | Annapolis to host Premier League teams Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton this summer

Soccer match will be july 31 at navy-marine corps memorial stadium.

English sides Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers (commonly known as Wolves) will play at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on July 31 at 8 p.m. The game is part of The Stateside Cup, a three-game showcase of English teams in the U.S.

Tickets will be available for the teams’ supporter groups beginning Friday and to the general public on Monday at 10 a.m. They can be purchased at StatesideCup.com and start at $35.

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, home of Midshipmen football, is one of three Maryland venues that will host international soccer this summer.

The U.S. Men’s National Team will face Colombia in a friendly at Commanders Field, home of Washington’s NFL team, in Landover on June 8, and Argentina and Guatemala will play there on June 14. M&T Bank Stadium will then host A.C. Milan and Real Madrid on Aug. 6 .

A few players — A.C. Milan’s Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah and Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards — could play in both the USMNT match as well as with their club this summer in Maryland.

The Premier League season is currently wrapping up (Crystal Palace and Wolves play this Saturday) and the 2024-25 regular season will begin again in August, a few weeks after the Annapolis game. As part of the Stateside Cup hosted by Maryland-based Elite Promotions Group, Crystal Palace, Wolves, and a third Premier League team, West Ham United, will each play two matches in the U.S. The other two matches will be in Jacksonville and Tampa, Florida, on July 27 and Aug. 3.

Maryland hosted Premier League teams last year when Landover held two games, and in 2022, when Arsenal beat Everton in front of an announced crowd of 39,245 at M&T Bank Stadium.

When that game was planned, soccer fans in Baltimore had hoped that the city would host men’s World Cup matches in 2026. However, Charm City was not selected as one of the 16 sites. Baltimore might still be involved in the event, though; for example, one or more teams could practice and stay in Baltimore.

The Maryland Stadium Authority is currently studying two Baltimore city-owned sites — Carroll Park and Swann Park — for a potential soccer stadium that could hold between 7,500 and 10,000 spectators and host a minor league club that feeds to MLS side D.C. United. The study, which will cost the club and government leaders $450,000, will take about a year to complete. The analysis does not indicate that the city will necessarily add a stadium, just that a report will be available for club and government authorities to evaluate.

Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, which can hold 34,000 spectators, previously hosted major soccer competition in 1984 when six Olympic matches — including two featuring eventual gold medalist France — were played in Annapolis. The venue began hosting the Annapolis Blues, a semi-professional team competing in the National Premier Soccer League, last year.

The Blues, which set a league single-game attendance record of 8,368 fans last season, are seeking to set another record with 10,000 spectators at their home opener this season on June 1.

Planning special matches like this is “largely dependent on the availability of venues and the availability of teams,” Mike Libber, president of Elite Promotions, said in a statement. Annapolis was chosen as a location, he said, because of the Blues’ recent success, the strong youth soccer community and because it could draw interest from Baltimore, Washington and the Eastern Shore.

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