Nottingham Forest considering shipping container stadium

Daniel Sedlarevic28/11/2023 5:55 am27/11/2023

Image via Benoy

Nottingham Forest are exploring the idea of utilising shipping containers to house additional temporary seating spaces at the City Ground, a move inspired by Qatar’s Stadium 974.

Shipping containers might be used to fill in the edges at the Trent End of the stadium, for which at the present time has a capacity of roughly 29,500. The modifications, which would not require planning clearance, would provide a provisional seating plan for approximately 500 more supporters.

Forest has long wanted to expand the City Ground, and in July of last year, Rushcliffe Borough Council approved the project, which would initially focus on reconstructing the Peter Taylor Stand.

The design is to bring the capacity of the stand up to 10,000, with Forest also planning on increasing the Bridgford Stand as part of a long-term vision to bring the City Ground’s to a total amount up to 38,000.

Forest had planned on starting the work the past summer but The Athletic reported in March that this could be pushed back to 2024 due to the complications associated with the planning permission and other considerations.

The previous season the club made their long-awaited return to the Premier League after a 23-year absence with the club consistently playing in front of sell-out crowds. Forest is seeking short-term solutions to satisfy the high demand for ticket sales, due to the plans to increase the stadium in size were hindered.

The shipping container design is inspired by Stadium 974, one of eight venues used to host matches at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The unique idea behind the Stadium 974 was constructed largely of shipping containers because of the nature of its architecture, it was the first stadium of its kind to be easily dismantled and reassembled in the history of the World Cup, with its name mentioning the number of shipping containers used in its creation of the stadium.

The stadium, which hosted seven World Cup matches, had a capacity of 44,000, the whole structure is to be demounted and reassembled elsewhere.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.