I live above TWO football stadiums – we watch games for free but I won’t let my pals come back unless they’re wowed
RESIDENTS who live in between TWO football stadiums can watch games for free - and sometimes they even get a glimpse of the cricket.
The City Ground, home of Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest, is just yards away from fourth-tier Notts County's Meadow Lane.
The two grounds, located on opposite sides of the River Trent, are the closest stadiums in England's top four divisions.
Fans of the Magpies, the oldest professional association football club in the world, can even spot the Trent End from their own stadium.
With Trent Bridge Cricket Ground just down the road, the area is a paradise for any sports fan.
Now a new housing development, built in between the two football stadiums on the banks of the river, has provided a perfect haven for anyone football mad.
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Trent Bridge Quays, designed to regenerate the waterside, includes 95 riverside homes and apartments.
And the new residents have been quick to take advantage of their unique property position.
Fiona Spearing, 74, owns a penthouse apartment with views of both stadiums from her balconies.
She told The Sun: "The main reason I bought the apartment was the roofed in balconies. There aren't any others quite like it on the development.
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"I had no idea what the view was going to be like until the apartment was actually built.
"I tell everybody that comes here if they don't say 'wow' to the view they don't come again!
"When people see the Forest stadium, the number of pictures that get taken is astronomical."
Fiona, who supports County and Forest, continued: "The Notts County side often seems to make more noise than Forest.
"When I came here, you can't sit outside without getting the atmosphere on match days. I'm drawn into it.
"I sit on the balcony and watch the games because you can see the pitch. I've had various friends over to come and watch.
"The only problem is you can see the away end better."
But living so close to the two stadiums has not been without its problems.
"In fairness it does get noisy at times," Fiona added. "I don't like walking around the area with the big crowds.
"I tend to avoid walking across Trent Bridge when there is a match about to start or finish especially when fans have been drinking.
"There is also an issue here with light pollution because the lights are on in the stadium often all night.
"Blackout curtains help but don't totally solve the problem. They've got lighting on the pitch to maintain the grass and it's on all night."
Ognjen Radoman, 20, originally from Serbia, is studying computer science at Nottingham University and lives in a mid-level flat.
He told The Sun: "When the windows are open in my apartment, it's like you are sitting in the stadium. You can hear everything.
"It can sometimes be annoying, for example if I have an exam or I need to study. Fans are screaming outside the ground.
"The ground itself isn't a problem. It's the fans walking between the stadiums.
"I saw once they were lighting fireworks in the middle of the day.
"I can see a few of the stands from my balcony and feel the atmosphere.
"I know when they have scored because I can hear stamping and screaming.
"When the football match finishes and you are on the other side of the bridge, it's really hard to get across through the crowds of fans."
Rory Akers, 29, a personal trainer from Watford, said: "We get a view of the Forest ground looking across the river and I think it's really cool.
"I'm a Watford fan but I don't mind the noise. For me, it's nostalgic because I used to live near Vicarage Road.
"Being able to hear the atmosphere from both grounds is awesome.
"You can hear it so intimately that you know the noises of exactly when someone has scored a goal, just missed, called offside and scored.
"You've also got Trent Bridge just down the road. My dad and brother are big fans of the cricket so they stay at our place."
Irene, 23, added: "The noise echoes. If you aren't really into football, you won't know where it is coming from.
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"It echoes between the buildings. You think County scored but then you realise it's actually Forest.
"Then you think it's Forest but the stadium is empty and it's County. It's a very weird sound situation we live in here."
