Nottingham Forest
Football is one of the abiding passions in Evangelos' life. Growing up in Greece and England, as he did, it was inevitable that he took a keen interest in those countries' love of the world's game.
On May 18, 2017, this culminated in the acquisition of Nottingham Forest Football Club. Founded in 1865, it is one of the oldest and most historic football clubs in the U.K. This acquisition was sanctioned by the English Football League ("EFL") after a detailed review of the strategy and plan to restore the Club to its former glory.
Five years on from acquisition, Nottingham Forest returned to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years following a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in the EFL Championship Playoff Final at Wembley Stadium.
The success marked an incredible transformation for the Club, under the leadership of Evangelos, with the celebrations at Wembley and across the city showing similarities with the Club's English First Division league title success in 1977-78, and the historic consecutive European Cup wins in 1979 and 1980.
The Forest team of 2021/22 reached the Premier League by playing attractive football, which was also showcased in a run to the FA Cup quarter finals, which included victories over Arsenal and local rivals Leicester City.
Since then, the Club has gone from strength to strength. After consolidating its position in the Premier League, the 2024/25 season saw Forest finish seventh in the Premier League – achieving qualification for European competition for the first time in 30 years – as well as reaching the FA Cup Semi Final for the first time since 1991.
Similarly, the record-breaking 2024/25 season also saw Forest Women secure promotion to the Women’s Championship as well as lifting the FA Women’s National League Cup, while Forest’s B Team won the Premier League International Cup.
Restoring Nottingham Forest to the top tier of English football has not been easy but, as with all his other enterprises, Evangelos has approached it with a long-term plan allied to a professional Management Team. An essential component of the plan has been a recognition of Nottingham Forest's heritage and strengthening the Club's links with its supporters and all aspects of the local community.
Evangelos' personal credentials of determination, a will to win and a preparedness for hard work has been vital.
War in Ukraine
In April 2022, Nottingham Forest stood by UNICEF to provide aid to those affected by the Russia-Ukraine war, offering financial support of over £15,000.
Following this, in December 2022, the Club confirmed a new international charity partnership with UK for UNHCR, to support relief efforts for people fleeing the conflict and persecution around the world. As part of this landmark partnership, for the remainder of the season both the Club’s Men’s and Women’s teams participated in all fixtures with the logo of UK for UNHCR on the front of their shirts, as a sign of solidarity for families who have been forced to flee their homes and communities.
Redevelopment of The City Ground
In February 2019, Evangelos announced exciting plans to redevelop The City Ground which has been Nottingham Forest's home for the last 120 years. Its iconic position of the stadium on the banks of the River Trent has become a true symbol for the city of Nottingham.
This signficant project will see The City Ground become the largest stadium in the East Midlands, while offering world-class facilities and hospitality, as well as improving the surrounding areas for the local community. Most importantly for supporters is the fact that they will remain at their home and not relocate to an alternative site, with a move away never considered by Evangelos.
Under the ownership of Evangelos, the Club has already implemented a number of significant improvements to its facilities, including opening a brand-new museum and a sustainable, climate-positive fan zone at the City Ground, while also transforming the Nigel Doughty Training Ground.
Now, following the approval of the Club’s application to redevelop The City Ground in June 2025, Evangelos and the Club are looking forward to working closely with their partners on the next steps.
Impact on the City of Nottingham
Since acquiring the club in 2017 Evangelos has made a significant impact on the city of Nottingham by regularly supporting the wider community. He has made substantial financial contributions to the charitable and community engagement arm of the Club, Nottingham Forest Community Trust (view its annual report here), while supporting Forest Women to become a full-time professional football club from the 2025/26 season.
In 2018, Evangelos helped stage a sleepout event at the stadium which saw local homeless charity Framework raise a record £50,000. In addition to this, he has also pledged his support to helping the people of the City with his involvement with the local charity 'Hope' by hosting food bank collection on matchdays.
Further significant support from Evangelos for those most in need across Nottingham includes the donation of 2,000 official club kits to over 50 schools through the ‘Red Thread’ campaign, welcoming British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to The City Ground for the unveiling of a county-wide community health initiative, and delivering the hugely impactful ‘Home for Christmas’ campaign in 2024.
Support for the City during COVID-19
When football came to a halt in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nottingham Forest actively supported the local NHS and community through a series of initiatives inspired by Mr Marinakis. Over £20,000 was raised for the Nottingham Hospital charity through bespoke t-shirts bearing the NHS and NFFC logos.
A partnership was also formed by the club with local foodbank charity, Open Kitchens. During this period, the Club set themselves the task of producing 10,000 hot and healthy meals to the local NHS staff working at the Queens Medical Centre and The City Hospital. Over 7,000 pieces of personal protective equipment were donated via club partner UK Meds and Nottingham CityCare, a local health services provider helping with Nottingham's fight against the coronavirus.
Partnerships with local homeless charities Framework and Hope Nottingham went from strength to strength. After creating designated drop-off points at The City Ground for supporters to donate food parcels for the people of the city on matchdays, the Club continued to support them during the pandemic. In April 2021, the famous Nottingham Forest shirts uniquely featured the Framework charity logo for a match against Bristol City, with thousands of pounds raised for the charity when the player’s shirts were auctioned to supporters.
The Club and its players, under the guidance of Evangelos, continue to support local hospitals and foodbanks. Christmas visits to spread joy and gift presents to poorly children in the city’s Queens Medical Centre are a mainstay of the Club’s charitable calendar. So too are visits to the city’s largest food bank, with players encouraged to package food parcels for the most vulnerable people in the community.
Record Crowds
It is not only the local community that has embraced Evangelos - the Club's supporters have also shown their appreciation by turning out in record numbers.
Since Evangelos’ acquisition of the club, which began with lowering season ticket prices for the 2017/18 season to make football more affordable for people across the city, The City Ground has seen record attendances. Sell-out crowds are virtually guaranteed for all home games, including Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup fixtures.
Ahead of the 2025/26 season, 99.2% of Season Card holders secured their seat at the world-famous City Ground, representing a record renewal rate for the Club.