Notts County: Reedtz brothers have hit another home run with Meadow Lane call - View | OneFootball

Notts County owners Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz deserve huge credit for the new fanzine 'The Nest' at Meadow Lane.

Key Takeaways

When Notts County first announced ambitious plans to turn a disused warehouse into a new fan zone in February, few people would’ve predicted how much of an instant success it would become.

Located directly next to Meadow Lane and just a few yards from the home turnstiles on Iremonger Road, ‘The Nest’ provides Notts’ own take on the likes of Box Park and has already proved to be an incredibly valuable addition to the club.

The venue opened just in time for England’s Euro 2024 campaign and quickly became a hit among the Notts faithful and other Nottingham locals, with demand for tickets soaring as England progressed deeper into the tournament.

Owners Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz, alongside Notts’ Chief Executive Joe Palmer, undoubtedly deserve huge plaudits for not only the vision for the project, but also how well it has been executed.

The Nest provides endless opportunities for income for the club

Euro 2024 provided the perfect opportunity for The Nest to get off to a perfect start.

The venue’s popularity exploded during England’s run to the final, with its 1,200 capacity reached for almost every Three Lions game.

While this proved to be an ideal moment to get The Nest up and running, its value to Notts will be far greater on a day-to-day basis than just the opportunity to screen major tournaments every two years.

Identified by the Reedtz brothers and Palmer as a way of increasing revenue into the club through non-footballing methods, Palmer has already described the possibilities for the facility on non-matchdays as “endless.”

Providing both seated and standing views of a massive TV screen, it has the potential to bring money into Notts on a year-round basis, with the venue capable of hosting events such as Esports and food and drink festivals. It has also already screened a heavyweight world title fight.

The Nest has also become a designated away pub for visiting supporters at Nottingham Forest home games, allowing Notts to profit from local football even when they don’t have a home game that weekend.

Alongside all of this, it obviously provides huge benefits to Notts supporters on their own matchdays. Located a matter of yards from the Kop end at Meadow Lane and boasting live football, local beers and high-quality street food all under one roof, it provides the full package for Notts fans heading to the game.

And what makes it so attractive for Notts fans, is the fact that every penny they spend goes straight back into the club.

As well as an extremely positive start to the season, it helped to bring a real feel-good factor to Meadow Lane.

The Reedtz brothers and Palmer have got it right once again

This is just the latest of a number of well-informed and well executed advancements made at Meadow Lane under the Reedtz brothers’ reign.

Most recently, the pitch was completely relayed with a new-hybrid surface over the summer, despite the fact that from a fan’s perspective, it already appeared to be in near-perfect condition.

Electronic advertising boards were installed in front of the Jimmy Sirrel stand at the start of 2024, providing new advertising opportunities for the club, while a series of padel courts behind the Kop are another venture to drive non-matchday income.

CEO Palmer has provided valuable business knowledge and ideas about how to modernise the club as much as possible and bring a reliable stream of income in.

The basis of the Reedtz brothers’ success is that they don’t appear to be strapped for cash. For the first time in a generation, Notts have owners who both have the cash available to make improvements and, crucially, the understanding of football and the decision-making to spend it wisely.

These logical and measured decisions to improve Meadow Lane and the surrounding area, combined with carefully considered choices and the injection of cash where appropriate on the footballing side of things, have ensured the Reedtz brothers have virtually unanimous support from the Notts fanbase.