Five Years of Forza Garibaldi

In the last fifteen years, Nottingham Forest have had twenty-four different managers grace the home dug-out at the City Ground. On average, that indicates the club has newly appointed nearly two managers every season – an extraordinary habit that indiscreetly unveils the scars from years of misconception, that have consequently created even more with disenchantment.

Forest have now endured up to twenty-two forlorn years outside England’s topflight, and become the only European-cup winner to have plummeted into the third tier of domestic football. In short, supporting their deplorable effort to return to the Premier League has been tormenting for most fans. The excitement of potential promotion left the banks of the Trent some time ago and the anger from its retreat has slowly dissipated. So much so that when Forest’s monumental 150th anniversary season came and passed with little conviviality but an air of apathy - a group of passionate supporters decided to take progress into their own hands. And eventually, a little has been made.

At the end of the 2015/16 football season, a small syndicate of Nottingham Forest supporters organised a function at the Orange Tree Pub, formerly known as the Clinton Arms; the official birthplace of Nottingham Forest. Feeling disheartened by the clubs’ feeble efforts to mark its 150th year as a club, along with the growing aura of lassitude surrounding the supporters – they decided to coordinate a fan march from the Forest Recreation Ground to Colwick Road which after great attendance, inspired the fan driven movement of Forza Garibaldi; the unrivalled pinnacle of yet another five years in mid-table obscurity of the Championship.

Established formally by two season ticket holders, Matt Oldroyd and Greg Mitchell, Forza was created to reinvigorate the enthusiasm for Forest by creating more of a community within the fanbase. “The formation didn’t have much to do with the football or the teams results” says Oldroyd, “there was just a sense that at the time, fans were falling out of love with going to games and losing sight of why they fell in love in the first place. Creating this fan movement was just proposing a solution to repair the affection of those fans – those that were many at the time. We knew if we did that, the whole matchday atmosphere would improve.”

In their first season, the Forza boys put on an array of pre-match events which were consistently well attended by fellow fans. The point being insisted by Mitchell, “was not to just get drunk before the game,” although alcohol consumption was free flowing, “but to raise everyone’s spirits, build a bit of camaraderie and ferry that through the turnstiles to create a better atmosphere inside the ground.” Which has quite literally happened. Among many of the group’s public gatherings during their first season as a movement, including a beer festival at Bierkeller and a music gig at the city centre’s Saltbox, perhaps the most popular procession involved a flotilla of fan-filled boats that sailed down the Trent before Forest’s home win against Leeds. A custom that has quickly become a popular ritual before home games in October for the last four years - and perfectly depicts the intentions of their fan fair.

With the groups budding reputation growing, their activities have blossomed over recent years courtesy of their anomalous fan displays taking centre stage for their acclaims. In 2017, the group’s influence was typified when an anonymous fan from Asia connected with the movement via a survey the group had published on their website. Having seen previous tifo’s coordinated by the group, the individual had gotten in touch to promote a specific idea that would both encapsulate and uncover the clubs’ pride in its wider heritage.

In the following season it was elevated onto the Trent End and unveiled emphatically. Entitled as Rebel City, it’s one of many resplendent tifo’s that have consecrated the Forest faithful before a big match since the group formed five years ago. Along with the sentimental reveal on remembrance Sunday in 2019 that is well worth a mention – where yet again, the group enraptured the proud history of Nottingham Forest and exposed it illustriously. An extortion of nostalgia that Mitchell as well as others, believes has been at the fall front of galvanizing a sense of impetus among supporters in recent seasons.

“We’ve seemed to find that there’s a general attitude among supporters nowadays that fans need inspiring before they start singing and shouting a load of support. We didn’t necessarily expect the group itself to be an inspiration, but we felt we could do things to induce that motivation by rekindling the companionship and spirt of the supporters. There is no doubt the fan displays have achieved a little bit of that.”

Alongside the choreography of each extravaganza embellished on the Trent End, there has been a sweet resurgence of flags in the Lower Bridgford Stand – the opposite end of the ground which through help from the Forza boys, has burst back into life.

“In 2015 it was a quiet and empty part of the stadium that basically looked abandoned” says Oldroyd. “It was rarely half full having previously been allocated as the second part of the away end for visiting supporters who very rarely travelled in large numbers. So, we decided to claim it for ourselves a bit. At this point, the club had already halved the away section so most of it was designated for home fans anyway

FIVE YEARS OF FORZA GARIBALDI

–it was just a case of relocating as many like-minded fans as we could over there which was easy given the fact it was next to the away fans, had no resident season ticket holders in it already, and was behind the goal – a factor which always seems to help create an atmosphere.”

Since many of Forza’s volunteers have relocated into the Lower Bridgford it has progressively gained a prestige that makes it widely considered the loudest part of the ground - as well as the hardest place to get a ticket. Its rejuvenation has notoriously improved the atmosphere for home fans, and Dom Lewison, a season ticket holder in the Main Stand believes their actions and vocals that reverberate back off the Trent End, have spurred on not only the team, but other more sedentary parts of the ground.

“Since Forza took over the Lower Bridgford the atmosphere has improved all around the ground. Admittedly, I sit in one of the deadest parts, but I am next to the Trent End, and as I much as I can hear songs from the Lower Bridgford echoing off it, you can see fans who don’t normally sing joining in, and that is the biggest affect they have had.

As Oldroyd explained, before the Lower Bridgford was made theirs, the predominant areas for singing in the City Ground were made up of small splinter groups. There was A Block that barely had space for more than a thousand fans couped away in the corner, and then an even smaller space in the Upper Bridgford Stand that were constantly pestered by stewards to sit down.

In taking half of the Lower Bridgford the movement has enabled a larger contingency of around 2,000 people who want to sing regularly, to stand together. Oldroyd says “We would like to have more space, but it’s better than it was. In the past, we just had small pockets of fans singing over the top of each other and drowning each other out; now more can sing in unison and create more noise which is ultimately better.”

Located in the Lower Bridgford, the core of the group is also stood next to A Block, the second nosiest part of the ground. “This way we’ve been able to almost attach ourselves to each other and sing the same songs. We’ve even given each other a bit of stick at times – all banter of course, but it’s a good reflection on how the mood has changed between fans, it’s become a lot less sombre and more cheerful - people’s attention isn’t just fixed on the game anymore which has improved the general feel factor and probably helped performances on the pitch by taking pressure off.”

That injection of buoyancy and even hilarity at times is indisputable. In the 2019/20 season, the average home attendance at Forest had risen from 19,676 at the end of 2015, to 27,724. While the arrival of new owners and a steep reduction in ticket prices for students have also been prominent factors in creating such an increase, Lewison says the general atmosphere and altogether improved match-day experience has also been a significant pull-factor for attracting fans.

“For a lot of fans, the best part of a match-day is going to the pub and socializing with mates before the game; probably because they don’t associate it with Forest. But Forza have found ways to tie the two together, putting on pre-match events where the atmosphere is good has gotten people relating good times with Forest again. It’s distracted people from the football and given them an insurance policy, that re-assures them they’ll have an enjoyable time whatever happens with the football - because there’s more to it.”

And that’s the groups notion; one that’s been implemented at away games too, with specific coaches to certain matches having been organized and dedicated pubs booked solely for Forest fans. Forza have tried to emphasize and rejoice in the good parts of supporting their football club, both within and away from the City Ground - even when their team has been losing games.

Calum Bacon, a lifelong Forest fan now exiled on the South Coast, was at one of Forza’s event’s before QPR away in 2018 on the last day of the season. Although Forest had nothing to play for back then, Calum still cherishes the memories of what is now a highlight of his 27 years following Forest. “It was awesome. I remember European Cup winner; Colin Barrett was there and was starting off all the chants. It was just a really up lifting atmosphere and for someone who doesn’t get to many games anymore and didn’t know anyone else there it was weirdly quite comforting. I was drinking and then jumping into other Forest fans and soon felt like I knew them. I soon felt like I was close to the club again and a whole lot more excited for what was actually a nothing game.”

While all fans are now expelled from the City Ground for the near future. The efforts of Forza Garibaldi are still trying to keep them connected to their beloved team. Just three months ago the group decorated the Trent End again. This time a banner featuring a collage of pictures sent in from supporters locked at home and embroidered with ‘We All Follow The Forest’ on it, was draped down from the top tier.

Yet again, it’s another spectacular rally by the group to illustrate and substantiate the passion for this football club. A feeling they have not only regularly helped fuel over the last five years - but stretch.