Notts County owner reveals Championship ambition

Notts County owner and chairman Alan Hardy speaking at our event last May

The owner of Notts County has told TheBusinessDesk.com that he wants to take the club to the Championship within five years – and that he tried to sign a Spanish international in January.

Speaking at our Sporting Lunch, held at Meadow Lane and sponsored by Gateley, Alan Hardy described his journey from building fit-out specialist Paragon Interiors, through buying The Nottinghamshire Golf Club and finally onto saving the oldest professional league football club in the world from dropping into non-league.

Hardy told an audience of around 50 business leaders from the East Midlands that he found running a football club completely different to running a business.

“When the players leave the dressing room and go out onto the pitch at 3pm every Saturday afternoon, then I have absolutely no control over what happens,” he told the audience.

He added: “So many people have a connection and a stake in this football club. I’m merely the current custodian – but of course I have a plan. I want Notts County to be in the Championship, but when that happens the money becomes serious, and that’s when I’ll assess my options.”

Hardy also revealed that Magpies manager Kevin Nolan had been in touch with Joey Barton about coming to play at Meadow Lane next season before he was appointed boss at Fleetwood Town, and that County had made an audacious bid for Spanish international Diego Capel in the January transfer window through a “Cruyff deal” – whereby Capel would be paid depending on the attendance at home matches.

Hardy also outlined the work currently taking place at The Nottinghamshire – his golfing complex which is adding hotel rooms and upgrading its facilities to offer an unrivaled leisure experience.

Notts County play the second leg of their League Two play-off semi-final this Friday (18 May) against Coventry City. Limited tickets are still available

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