An interesting Topic was placed on the site, asking if the Current Notts side would hold it's own in League 1. I would like to ask could Notts actually afford to play in League 1? Certainly Promotion to the next level of the Football League would bring in additional cash, but would it be enough to help the Magpies survive and consolidate their position in League 1? Where would the extra cash come from? After all the Owners have said They want the Club to be run on at a level that will require a less Cash input from themselves. If Notts got Promoted then the following season would require practically a Brand New Squad, as many Fans have stated there are only a small number members of the current Squad who could hold their own in the Higher League. Bringing in Experienced E.F.L. players would cost the Club a Large amount of money, have the Owners got that amount of Financial Clout? The wage structure alone would increase several times over, due to the Influx of New Players and any Player who remains at Notts after helping the Magpies gain Promotion, would also be looking for a Pay rise. That along with the Hiring of an Experienced Head Coach is going to cost Money, Loanees and Free Agents aren't going to keep Notts Up. Plus the Owners aren't going to be able to continually waiver huge losses, such as the £10 Million debt which they have done recently.

Some percentage of the Money will come from an Increase in the Price of Season Tickets plus an Increase in Match Day Tickets. But where else is the Cash coming from? Certainly the Board can sell their Star Players, but if those Players are Not replaced by like for like Players, then Notts may struggle and if they were Relegated, they would be bound to lose a certain number of Fans (and their cash). So what would be the answer? The only thing I can see is the Club seeking more Investment, words echoed by other members on this site. However this could bring about it's own problems, if any New Financial Investment were Big Enough, wouldn't those Investors want a Bigger Say In How The Club Was Run, thus cutting down the Brothers Control at the Lane? Does this mean then, for the foreseeable future Notts are just going to Potter along as they are now, content being a League 2 side, and occasionally having a Run at the Playoffs?

I'm not sure Notts need a massive injection of cash to survive in League 1. Our model has been to find talent from lower leagues/overseas without spending high levels of cash. Our past recruitment has unearthed Wooton, Rodrigues, Langstaff, Bass and Baldwin all playing at a higher level. We also currently have Jodi, Robertson and Bedeau who have played at a higher level before joining us. So I'm not too concerned about the financial side of things, we just need to get our recruitment back on track and we will be ok.

An interesting thread @Wheelbarrow repair man and well put together with some thought provoking points.

Getting promoted to League one is going to be hard enough, but staying in League one is a while new ball game, excuse the pun.

Notts already have several players that I believe will be a big asset in League one & several more who could make it, but Notts will have to recruit several or more players to put together a competitive squad for League one.

As you rightly say, the wage bill will increase for the squad as a whole. The players may have a clause written into their contracts that may give them a pay rise for getting Notts promoted.

I've said many times on here that I think that additional finance by a third party would be a good move. There are plenty of examples of this happening in the League pyramid. There isn't any reason why the brothers wouldn't continue to have full control if there were third party investment.

I do think that if Notts were promoted the season ticket prices and general admission charges would go up to reflect Notts new status. I don't think that could be avoided. Hopefully, getting promoted will increase the interest & result in higher attendances.

I do believe that Notts will be ok if they get promoted. I think that the brothers would have factored all of that in anyway & will be prepared for the extra costs of running a League one club.

I don’t think going from League 2 to League 1 will be a massive issue, even from a financial point of view. We are already in a very good position in terms of attendances. A number of League 1 clubs like Stevenage, Exeter, Wycombe and Northampton to name a few all have considerably lower attendances than we do, yet they manage ok. Last season our average attendance of just over 10,000 was slightly higher than Wigan’s (9,900) and they had the 8^th highest attendance in League 1!

I think our average attendance would possibly be around 12,000 in League 1, and that is partly helped by better away followings, this is a great base to build from. You also get an increase in prize money, tv money and payments from the premier league. So I don’t think we’d need a massive increase in finances to stabilise ourselves in League 1, the brothers themselves said in a statement recently that the budget from this year is comparable to some teams in League 1.

I said it earlier in the season, it’s not always about the amount of money you have that’s important, it’s about how wisely you spent it.

how are bradford city managing when they were cash strapped in league two, and were paying a million a year just to play at the valley parade? they spent 35k on a striker and that was a big deal. their manager moaned about about the cost of players in league one being inflated, but they signed early and considering they are top of league one it seems to be working.

what notts needs to do is continue with the high gates recites, which is why the match day price increase had been disappointing to me. yes it falls inline with other clubs but that increase was not needed to be made. it has taken us from being regularly over 10-12k to below.

i think the first season back in league one would be a test for us when we get there, but there are many things which could help. if we sold a player or two, and made sure to reinvest then that would help. i don't think it would be a big gulf, not like the championship would be.

Seriously? That's a masterclass in negative takes.

"would require practically a Brand New Squad" Why? They'd have just proved they're better than a lot of fans give them credit for by getting promoted.

"The wage structure alone would increase several times over" No-one's getting a 200%+ pay rise.

"Hiring of an Experienced Head Coach is going to cost Money" Why? The one we have would have just got us promoted.

"the Owners aren't going to be able to continually waiver huge losses" How do you know? When they waived some last week, no-one saw that coming.

"if those Players are Not replaced by like for like Players" and "if they were Relegated" Now we're into worrying about things that haven't happened after something (promotion) that hasn't happened yet and that a lot of fans don't think we're capable of!

"more investment ... could bring about it's own problems" The phrase "every silver lining has a cloud" springs to mind. So you want new investment but reserve the right to paint it as a bad thing?

You've missed a few obvious things that we need to worry about. What if Forest win back to back Champions Leagues and no Nottingham child decides to support Notts for a generation? What if the pitch fungus gets out of control and Meadow Lane has to be burned to the ground? What if some fans get their way and MP is sacked and the brothers put Chat GPT in charge?

The discussion can be broken down into clear points. Most teams prepare for promotion in advance and I think it is a fair subject to debate. Notts will benefit from recruitment. It might not have been the strongest this season, but the signings have added to the squad and helped get the best out of the players already here.

Our playing budget may not match many other teams, but it is about how the money is used. We have a strong spine in place. Promotion would not mean a complete rebuild, but smart signings in the right areas to add depth and quality. Off-field assets will also help. The Nest makes money when Forest are in the Premier League, as opposition fans often use it on matchdays.

Liam makes a fair point about the rise in pay-on-the-day prices. It does seem to have affected attendances and that will have an impact. If a few friends decide to join you and you all go into The Nest for a couple of drinks, that is income for the club. If you buy food from the tea bars, that adds more. By raising prices, fewer people may take it up.

Football should be more affordable. The club can sell 7,000 season tickets when results are good, but more could be done. If prices were lowered for existing season ticket holders and kept the same for new buyers, it would encourage early renewals and help bring in casual fans too.

Promotion would bring in good money. If it came through the play offs, the reward would be even greater than finishing as champions. The Reedtz may need to invest, but that does not mean Notts could not compete in League One.

We will likely need to get used to selling players more often. It is vital that we do, but also that we recruit well to replace them. I would not want to see Notts selling to rivals, as we did with Dan Crowley, but instead to clubs we do not have to worry about until we grow further.

Moneyball or not, players who are unlikely to renew should be sold when possible. It all helps the finances. None of us truly know what life in League One would be like. Only those who understand the finances and the board will have a clear idea. It would be interesting to see how our current budget compares to League One teams.

The first year after promotion is usually about survival and finding your feet. If the squad keeps its momentum and is strengthened in the right way, it can carry us forward.