Nottingham Forest has joined forces with Nottingham Building Society to bring you the perfect savings account for Forest fans.
There's no better way to show your support for the club because for every £1 you save and keep in the account for a year, Nottingham Building Society will donate 1% to the Nottingham Forest Youth Academy.

Why save with a Nottingham Forest Saver Account?

• It provides an annual donation to the Nottingham Forest Youth Academy based on the amount you save
• You receive a one-off 10% discount on official merchandise from the Forest Store for every new account opened
• There are 9 prize draws each season to win a Forest Experience Day. This includes a tour of the ground, the chance to meet a first team player and tickets for a match
• You, or someone you nominate, could lead out the team - an exclusive mascot prize draw is held twice a season

Thank you for supporting your heroes of tomorrow

Producing home grown players who are good enough to cut it at the top level is certainly no easy task. In these modern times players are scouted before they have even reached their teens. Spotting the talent may be one thing, but making sure that talent gets realised is an all together more difficult job.

The team at Nottingham Forest Academy have made it their mission to recruit outstanding young football talent and provide for them the best possible opportunities to achieve footballing excellence and fulfil their all-round potential.

In 2006 Nottingham Forest teamed up with Nottingham Building Society to offer fans the chance to support the Academy by opening a Nottingham Forest Saver Account. Since the account opened five years ago The Nottingham has donated over £70,000 to help run the Youth Academy.

Sean England, Academy Education and Welfare Officer, said:
"All the players that have benefitted from attending the Academy in recent years would like to say a massive thank you to all the fans that have opened a Nottingham Forest Saver Account. The donation we receive from The Nottingham helps us deliver specialist training to up and coming talent onsite. It has also helps pay for coaching equipment, training, match kits and travel costs.
"It is great to see the progress the boys make both on a personal and professional level whilst attending the Academy. There is a huge team of people at the Academy, including coaches, scouts and physiotherapists. They work hard to develop first team players such as Lewis McGugan and Andy Reid, as well as upcoming talents such as Karl Darlow. "

You can help your favourite team develop the first team stars of tomorrow by opening a Nottingham Forest Saver Account today. There's no better way to show your support because for every £1 you save and keep in the account for a year, The Nottingham will donate 1% to the Nottingham Forest Youth Academy.

To find out more visit www.thenottingham.com/savings.


NICK MARSHALL IS INTERVIEWED ABOUT THE FOREST ACADEMY

Academy Director Nick Marshall was interviewed about his work at the Forest Academy as well as where he's come from and how he got to work at Forest.

Interviewer: So Nick where did you grow up?
I grew up in Sheffield as an avid supporter of the home team Sheffield United. As well as having a love for football, I also played tennis on a semi-professional basis until I was 18. After leaving school I went to Manchester Metropolitan University where I studied sports science for three years.
Interviewer: How did you get into the Forest Academy?
It's a long story but essentially while I was at university I obtained my coaching badge. I took this back to Sheffield and started coaching the local under 21s. From there I moved onto Barnsley, Leeds United and then finally to Forest.
Interviewer: What were your first thoughts when you arrived in Nottingham?
I was absolutely chuffed to bits. Forest had always been my second team after Sheffield United and I couldn't wait to start work.
Interviewer: Do you have any advice for youngsters that want to get into professional football?
In a nutshell, you've got to be good! You need to be passionate about the game and you've got to work really hard. Also you need to take the rough with the smooth, don't expect it to be a 'bed of roses' all the time.
Interviewer: Do you have any advice for existing Academy players?
Just make sure you enjoy it. Also don't walk away from it if it doesn't work out saying, "if only I had done that", you did it and that's what matters.
Interviewer: What's happening between this season and the beginning of the next?
The boys go home for a few weeks and get a well-earned rest. Some of them have been playing a lot of football this season at a variety of levels as well as their studying so it can be very tiring. For the staff we get two to three weeks off and then it's back to work getting ready for next season.
Interviewer: Just one final question, where do you want to be in five years' time?
I've no current ambitions to be a manager. I'd really like to still be here in five years' time. The thing is that every year we get that little bit better at doing what we do here at The Academy, so it's always changing and ever more interesting.

ACADEMY PLAYER MICHAEL HOLLINGSWORTH IS INTERVIEWED ABOUT HIS TIME AT THE FOREST ACADEMY

Interviewer: Where did you grow up?
I was actually born in the Philippines. My dad was in the Army and met my mother out there. When we came back to the UK we moved to Boston and that's been home ever since. I am looking forward to going back to Boston and spending some time with my family in the summer between the seasons.
Interviewer: When did you first start playing football and is it in the family?
I have been playing since I was six or seven years old and have played in both the Under 9s Team and the Under 16s Team. You could say it's in the blood, my Dad used to play on an amateur basis.
Interviewer: How did you get into the Forest Academy?
I was scouted from the Young Dons part of Donington Football Club in Lincolnshire and signed up when I was nine years old.
Interviewer: What were your first thoughts when you arrived in Nottingham?
I was really excited, it was a huge adventure. And when you're young you have no fear, I couldn't wait to start playing football.
Interviewer: What things did you miss the most?
Amazingly nothing! My life revolved around football and I didn't want to be anywhere else.
Interviewer: Do you have any advice for youngsters that want to get into professional football?
Just remember it's a hard graft. Always act professionally and make sure you approach everything with a positive attitude. Also remember the mental strength you're going to need is probably more important than the physical strength.
Interviewer: What was the hardest thing for you during your time at the Academy?
It was when I was 14 and I had to make the decision whether or not to leave school. In the end I stayed on and finally left Boston when I was 15, splitting my time between Forest and Boston with two days a week in Nottingham and the rest in Boston.
Interviewer: What's been the most enjoyable thing?
One of the most exciting things I've been involved in was the tournament in Greece last year. Not only was it a great experience but we won beating Olympiakos in the final.
Interviewer: Just one final question, where do you want to be in five years' time?
That's easy, I want to be an established professional playing football at Forest, whether that be at championship level or better.

If you are interested in supporting the Academy and opening a Forest Saver Account visitwww.thenottingham.com/savings/nottingham-forest-saver/