Nottingham Forest unveil 'world class' improvements to training ground as Evangelos Marinakis vision hailed
Nottingham Forest have unveiled the fruits of their multi-million-pound spend on their training ground.
In a five-minute video published on the club website, Forest gave a tour of the upgraded Nigel Doughty Academy, with work completed this past summer. With the backing of owner Evangelos Marinakis, there have been wide-ranging improvements at the training ground in the hope they will help the players to improve physically, technically and tactically.
A new gym, physio rooms and rehabilitation rooms have been installed, while inside the players’ changing room there’s now a sauna and ice baths. Upstairs, there’s a new video analysis room with balcony access to the pitch to allow for training sessions to be filmed.
The lounge has been expanded while there are new breakout areas which it is hoped will help generate better camaraderie and communication among the players and staff. Plus, there are the new training pitches, installed before the summer, which match the surface at the City Ground.
Captain Ryan Yates said there had been “dramatic improvements” since the club moved up to the Premier League a couple of years ago, with the Nigel Doughty Academy now “unrecognisable” from when he first joined Forest as a boy.
Yates told the club: “It’s improved dramatically. The backing from the owner, not only at the City Ground but at the training ground, has been massive. Year on year he’s constantly improving things. You can just tell by going in that the level is different. It’s top class.
“When we got promoted, that year the facilities weren’t at the best standard. Now they’re basically identical to the City Ground, which is huge. Training on a pitch that is immaculate every day is really helping the lads become better players. It’s another thing that doesn’t get spoken about, but it’s a huge investment making sure the pitches are world class.
“The owner looks at every single detail of what can be improved. From when I first arrived as a seven or eight-year-old, the difference is almost unrecognisable to be honest.”