Onwards!

2016/2017 – The beginning

After our maiden season we still cannot quite comprehend how much momentum this campaign of ours has gathered. Last season saw the very worst of Nottingham Forest but also the very best. The ability of the support to manifest itself into anything other than an apathetic or furious mob is to all of our credit.

Still, that’s in the past now. But there remains a legacy of those recent dark days. It’s us – you and me (as a banner once said): Fighting for the spirit of the club, defiantly coming together and driving our team on. 2016/2017 was the beginning of something we think.

The outlook is somewhat rosier as it stands. We have to hope that this is a bonafide turn around in fortunes for NFFC. None of us know whether it is or not and we shouldn’t get too carried away before a ball is kicked under the new regime. Either way, patience is going to be needed in abundance you suspect.

Crucially, the fanbase is as together as it has been for many years. And genuine steps already appear to be being taken to form closer ties between club and fans. Hats off to the new owners and the new team for that.

Onwards

With all of this considered we have thought hard (probably not that hard in reality) about where FG sits in all of this and what sort of role we want to play.

The answer is that not a lot will change. The pre-match gatherings have become a huge part of our repertoire and, while always being a bloody good laugh, have added camaraderie and, vitally, support into the stands. But we won’t be resting on our laurels; the latter is something we’ll look to amplify this season.

Whatever we are doing, whatever bang we are drumming (not literally, Christ no) it will almost always revert back to our main aim of improving the atmosphere inside the ground. Flags, banners and displays will also make a return in a big way. They add so much to the atmosphere and help create a larger of anticipation and excitement across the stands. A few new additions will be on view very soon too…

Yet what we did conclude is that FG does perhaps need more of a definition with respect to what we do and what we want to do. We’ve purposely downplayed the typical fan group tag as we feel we can offer something different and greater than that. And we certainly don’t fit the ultra mould, nor do we want to it should be said. We aren’t really fussed how you want to describe us in truth but we do want to pursue FG as more of a fan movement.

We spoke last summer about creating a culture of unwavering support and also originality back into the terraces which will be at the heart of our efforts. Football culture in this country has become dull and tired. The terrace songs and anthems are a dour mix of offerings; usually spread around on the internet. An occasional spark of something new and clever is usually instantly rehashed and regurgitated dozens of times up and down the land.

There has been a loss of tribalism and excitement in supporting a team. Fans follow others like sheep (pun intended) and struggle to look past what others are up to and dream something up for themselves. There are clubs who do it very well but most are terrible. We don’t intend to just improve the situation at Forest, we want to revitalise and revolutionise the way we support the team. And make us the finest supporters in England. We don’t mean that as some cheap, throwaway comment but a genuine statement of intent – let others envy how we do things our own way.

We’ll also begin to push certain causes that we believe in. Safe standing is an example of this. One of our group is a key member of the campaign and we’d like to explore the subject and its potential. We realise it’s not going to be a priority at NFFC any time soon but the positive impact it could have on English football is significant. This website will allows us to publish opinion pieces on numerous topics which we will promote and support where necessary.

Join

We will continue to stress that we don’t represent the NFFC support. We’re a collection of fans driven by our passion and love for our football club and don’t profess to know exactly where we are headed. We try to avoid taking ourselves too seriously. We’ll do what we think is right to help support the club and the team and invite anyone to help us do that. It’s fairly essential to our plans that you do.

For those that are keen to become involved or help out in some way we are going to be requiring all sort of assistance in the coming months and beyond. Forza Garibaldi is not about a handful of individuals, it can and should be about an unlimited number of supporters. There is a role for anyone. A place to start is by subscribing to our e-newsletter which will continue into the new season. See the sign up option towards the top of the home page and get in touch.

We have a busy few weeks ahead before the season begins. Plans that have been brewing for a while are now coming to life. Our various gathering and functions will be publicised independently on the site but the boats will be happening again this September which we expect will be extremely popular. And there is a lot more we’ll be unveiling soon. Combined with some much appreciated co-operation from the club we are confident we can continue to take FG in the right direction.

Buckle up, consider joining the FG campaign in any way you want to and we will see you very soon.