Nottingham Forest FC — Key Facts
| Founded | 1865 |
| Current Owner | Evangelos Marinakis (since 2017) |
| Stadium | The City Ground, Nottingham, England |
| League | Premier League (England) |
| European Titles | 2× European Cup / UEFA Champions League (1979, 1980) |
| Manager | Nuno Espírito Santo (2024–present) |
Nottingham Forest Football Club is one of England’s most historic football clubs, founded in 1865 and famously known for winning back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980 under legendary manager Brian Clough. After a long period outside the top flight, the club won promotion to the Premier League in 2022 and has re-established itself as a top-division English club under Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis.
Who Owns Nottingham Forest?
Nottingham Forest is owned by Evangelos Marinakis, a Greek billionaire shipping magnate and businessman. Marinakis completed his takeover of Nottingham Forest in May 2017, purchasing the club from the Fawaz Al Hasawi family. Marinakis, who made his fortune in the shipping industry through Capital Maritime & Trading Corp and Capital Group Companies, is also the owner of Olympiacos FC in Greece and holds a major stake in Marítimo in Portugal. He is the first person to own clubs from two different countries that have won major European trophies (Olympiacos won the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2024).
History and European Glory
Nottingham Forest’s greatest era came under manager Brian Clough, who transformed the club from a struggling First Division side into European champions. After winning the First Division title in 1977–78, Forest won the European Cup in 1979 (defeating Malmö FF) and retained it in 1980 (defeating Hamburg SV). These back-to-back European titles — achieved by a club that had never won the English top flight before Clough’s arrival — remain one of football’s most remarkable achievements. The club was relegated from the Premier League in 1999 and spent 23 years in the Championship before winning promotion in 2022.
Recent Performance
Since Marinakis’s takeover and especially following promotion to the Premier League in 2022, Nottingham Forest has invested heavily in squad development. The club survived its first two Premier League seasons back in the top flight and has ambitions to re-establish itself as a credible mid-table Premier League club, with the City Ground undergoing capacity expansion plans.
