Gianna Mitchell is used to getting goosebumps at the City Ground - but Sunday will be a whole different kind of experience for the Nottingham Forest Women’s forward.
Andy Cook’s Reds usually play their home fixtures at Eastwood Community’s ground. This weekend, however, they host arch-rivals Derby County Women Trentside (2pm kick-off).
It is hoped the National League Northern Premier Division clash will once again attract a bumper attendance. Last season, 4,443 fans watched the fixture when it was staged at the stadium - at the time, a new record in the third tier.
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Mitchell, whose role as content executive for the club sees her attend the men’s matches, believes talk of topping that attendance figure is testament to how the women’s game is continuing to grow. And she says the prospect of playing on the City Ground stage adds an extra edge to an already enticing fixture.
“It's my first time playing at the City Ground, so for me personally, it is going to be a really great opportunity to play in front of all of our fans,” said Mitchell. “I played in one derby game before, and I feel like the energy around the game itself, the long history between Derby and Forest, it is a really good opportunity. I think it will be a great game.
“I get goosebumps when I am sitting there listening to Mull of Kintyre on a match day. Obviously I know there’s not going to be 29,000 fans there, but I think it is going to be amazing, especially for my first time playing at the City Ground. It is going to be a different experience playing there on a match day.
“We don't have a lot of games at the City Ground. For it to be a derby game, I think it is going to be really good. Everyone is excited.
“I am excited for it and up for it. We all are. It will be good. Hopefully we get the win and the three points, then on to the next one.
“It would be unreal if we could break that attendance. It is a testament to how much women’s football is growing at the moment in this country.
“It is not unrealistic to hope that we can beat that record. That’s the goal we have right now. Hopefully it’s the case on Sunday.”
Women’s football on these shores has been in the spotlight since England’s success at the Euros in the summer. Mitchell says there has been a noticeable increase in interest - and Forest are eager to build on that to inspire the next generation.
“I came here in January from the States,” she said. “Women’s soccer has been a lot more popular in the States, so coming over here and being able to see first-hand the shift from people knowing about women's football to people supporting it a lot more has been really cool to see, especially after England won the Euros.
“The Euros have really paved a great opportunity for women footballers all over the country. It is amazing that these doors keep opening up for women players and players that are aspiring to play professionally. It is really great to have representation in a sport that for so long in this country was deemed as only a men's sport.
“Representation is everything. At our games at Eastwood, there are not as many people there, but just to talk to girls after the game and have conversations with them, it is a really great opportunity.
“You are happy to see it. As something that can be deemed a men’s sport, girls might be swayed to think, ‘ah, it’s their sport, I’m not even going to try’. But to see us playing, I feel like it is very inspiring.”
Head coach Cook has previously spoken about how falling short of promotion last season is a motivating factor for his team in 2022/23. They have made a positive start to the campaign and are eager to keep that going.
“Promotion is always on our mind,” said Mitchell, who won the National Championships with Florida State in 2021 and also previously represented Boston College. “We just focus game by game. We can't get promoted without focusing on the games we have ahead of us.
“We’re just working on perfecting our game and being the best we can be day in, day out. That’s really what we’re focused on.”
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