Nottingham Forest have been given the green light to complete a major upgrade of facilities at the Nigel Doughty Academy.
The club’s plans, which include a new two-storey building and enhanced facilities at the Wilford Lane training base, have been approved by Rushcliffe Borough Council.
The new academy building will include 14 changing rooms, three classrooms, a gym, a physio room, an analysis suite, a guest parents’ lounge and canteen facilities, plus additional on-site car parking.
The ambitious project forms part of owner Evangelos Marinakis’ plans to improve infrastructure throughout the club.
Speaking as the plans were submitted at the end of last year, Reds chairman Nicholas Randall QC said: “This is another important milestone in enhancing the infrastructure of the club by Mr Marinakis, in line with our long-term aspirations.
“In addition to his continued investment in the playing staff, we are very grateful for the owner’s continued generosity and his vision for how he wants the football club to evolve.
“We undertook a strategic review of the options for developing our training facilities, including assessing other potential locations.
"We have concluded that Wilford Lane, which has been our home for over 20 years, provides the ideal footprint for us to improve and further integrate our first team and academy operations. This integration is essential to the culture and philosophy we are seeking to develop at the club.
“Everything we do as a club is geared towards continually improving standards to provide the best possible environment for us to progress and this latest investment by Mr Marinakis is another example of that.
“We are proud of the club’s long history in developing players through the academy to the first team and, as evidenced by this investment, it remains integral to the footballing strategy of the club.”
