Matchday: Watching Live Sport in Nottingham as a Student

Floodlights, a roaring crowd, the crack of a puck off the boards. Nottingham serves up football, ice hockey and cricket in one city, and the cricket ground sits close to both football stadiums, so a big sporting weekend is never far away. Check each ground’s route before you buy, because Arcadian and Centre Court sit in different parts of the city.

Where to Watch Football in Nottingham

Pick a side. Nottingham Forest play at the City Ground, and Notts County play at Meadow Lane.

Forest tickets are the hot property. Season cards for 2026/27 are sold out, with a waiting list of more than 12,000, though the club has reinstated a Young Adult season-ticket category for ages 18 to 21. Most home match tickets need a MyForest Membership, so sign up before the sale opens.

Notts County list student and young adult categories for their 2026/27 season tickets.

Getting to the City Ground is simple. Nottingham Station is about a 20-minute walk away, or around 10 minutes by bus, with routes five to eleven among the most useful.

Is Ice Hockey Worth Watching?

Absolutely, and the prices help. Nottingham Panthers play in the Elite League at Motorpoint Arena Nottingham, a 7,500-capacity arena, and the 2026/27 season opened on 12 September 2026 and stretches until 18 April 2027. That gives you a full winter of home games, with plenty of weekend nights to choose from.

Students pay £16 for Bronze seats, £17 for Silver, and £26 for Gold, while Platinum seats cost £40 for everyone. The arena adds a £1.60 booking fee and a £1.90 venue facility fee per ticket. The box office is on 0115 853 3000.

Cricket at Trent Bridge

Yes, once spring returns. Trent Bridge is home to Nottinghamshire, and the county’s Vitality Blast home games filled six weekends from 22 May to 10 July in 2026. The club’s pricing page listed adult and junior prices but no student concession.

From Nottingham Station, the ground is about a 20-minute walk. The Queens Walk and Meadows Embankment tram stops are each about 20 minutes on foot, and buses stop on Bridgford Road and Radcliffe Road. Check the club’s website for the 2027 fixture list once it is released, and look for any student offer before you book.

Ticketing Tips

• Panthers Gold and Platinum seats carry no student discount, so the saving only applies in Silver and Bronze.
• Forest season-card holders resell unwanted tickets through the club’s Ticket Exchange. It beats third-party resale sites, where prices often sit well above face value and scams occur.
• Trent Bridge sits near both football grounds, so check the fixture lists before you choose a day when one stadium’s crowds are not heading your way.

Your base matters on match day. Arcadian on Huntingdon Street puts you opposite the Victoria Centre, and Centre Court on Alfreton Road in Lenton is a second EVO Student home in the city. When you are ready, explore both at EVO Student.