The "BIG" Interview With Albert Scardino

Last updated : 21 July 2003 By Notts County Mad
Albert Scardino in an Exclusive Interview
Firstly, what is the current situation regarding the Notts Council at present?

The council's leaders and staff said in December they would support a guarantee for a 10-year mortgage on the stadium, subject to a number of conditions. We met all the conditions. On Thursday night last week they said that circumstances had changed and that they would not now support it.

What can Notts fans and the general public do to help?

Write to their council representatives and to the chief executive, John Jackson, to urge them to reconsider their position. Among the issues you might discuss are the following:
Best help would be to contact your city council representative or the chief
executive (
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk) or write to the Nottingham Evening
Post to say that Notts County is more than just the oldest league football
club in the world. It is also a school for excluded students, a
community-wide recreation programme for 25,000 youngsters, a tourist
attraction for 30,000 visitors a year, an anchor in the 250-acre
redevelopment plan for the waterside area. The club gives hundreds of
thousands of pounds a year worth of services to the community. All we are
asking is a bit of commitment in return. Urge them to support the full 10-year
guarantee for £3.4 million. Not a grant, not a cash payment, not a loan,
but a guarantee. And by the way, Notts has an excellent credit history with
the city, having borrowed money in the past and paid it back on time and in
full -- unlike some other sports organisations along the river. According to the independent auditors they themselves brought in, the risk to the city of going ahead is very low. However, the risk to the city of not going ahead is extremely high.

Albert Scardino: Acting Chairman
Could Notts go out of business in the near future?


That possibility seems to have receded in the past two days.

What are you trying to do to resolve the matter?

Keep open lines of communication with the councils.

How much money in debt is Notts County?

That's a loaded question. We have assets of at least £9 million and liabilities of about £5 million, so in that sense we are not in debt at all. The assets are long-term. Unfortunately the liabilities are short-term. The intention here is to try to match the two to one another. Put another way, we have a lot of bills to pay each month, but we can't pay them with the stadium or with a player unless we can somehow generate some cash from these assets. If we sell all our players to raise cash, we cripple our ability to operate. However, if we can get a mortgage on the stadium, which we own, we can achieve stability and growth at the same time.

Are Notts County Football Club facing Administration or even Liquidation
?

Too soon to tell. Ask me again in a couple of weeks.