Nottingham Forest were at the bottom of the Championship when the Trent Navigation Inn took a leap of faith to convert its car park into a fanzone. Steve Cooper had only just taken the helm with a string of defeats and only four points in his wake.
The bold idea paid off - Steve Cooper started winning games and The Big Shed, in Meadow Lane, started to become revered as the most vibrant place to watch the games. When Forest were promoted to the Premier League, after defeating Huddersfield 1-0 in May 2022 at Wembley, it put the wheels in motion for an exciting 22-23 season in the top flight, which has been full of twists and turns with the Reds fighting to stay up.
The Big Shed is now regarded as one of the best facilities for football supporters in the Midlands, with a huge screen, dedicated bar, Bavarian style seating, BBQ and stage. This Saturday (May 20) they want to raise the roof for Forest's last home game of the season against Arsenal, which could have a huge bearing on Forest's survival hopes.
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There's been excitement, expectancy, unforgettable after-match parties and dancing in the streets as fans celebrated the highs including a 1-0 home victory against Liverpool. Tom Holodynsky, operations manager, said: “It’s been amazing to see our vision for the matchday experience really embraced by the supporters of both Forest and Notts County alike.
"We’re open at 10am for breakfast with people starting to arrive to bag themselves a seat, we open the outdoor bar and fire up the BBQ a bit later as more people arrive and the atmosphere builds.
"Our curated playlist of Forest related tunes is the soundtrack to the day and then Steve McGill takes to the stage to give us live renditions of some of the most popular Forest songs and chants - in his own rock, acoustic style. Now the buzz and vibrancy of the venue really intensifies and as the whistle is blown for kick off, The Big Shed is the next best thing to being in the stands themselves at the City Ground.”
The pub has been praised for managing the flow of people and the quick service for drinks, which isn't easy on a busy matchday. Since many of the staff of the pub are long standing season ticket holders themselves, they contribute to the camaraderie among the fans.
Landlord Sam Ditchfield said: “You can buy a big screen and book some bands easily enough but it takes years to build the things that money can’t buy: atmosphere, integrity, respect. We’ve been building these things for almost two decades here and this season the fans have really shown their appreciation for that by coming out in their thousands to get behind Forest with us."
The plan for Forest's last home game of the season this Saturday (May 20) at 5.30pm is to open at 10am for breakfast, with a full bar and food continuing through the day and a BBQ in the courtyard. The footie action will start with screening the early kick-off of Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford from 12.30pm, before the scores come through from the 3pm games.
There will be live music featuring all the favourite Forest tunes from Steve McGill before the Forest kick-off at 5.30pm. Entry is free but to guarantee entry and receive a drink tickets are on sale at gigantic.com.
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