It’s about the same amount as Harry Arter’s salary this season, or about the same as Divock Origi’s. It’s also about the same as the prize money that would have been awarded to Forest if they’d finished one place higher.
It’s estimated that Nottingham Forest will generate around £2million to £3.1m in extra revenue after deciding to raise season ticket prices by around 24 per cent. That’s not a lot of money in football terms. Last season, Forest’s first back in the top flight, they made £154.8m.
It feels like a huge gamble for so little reward. And it’s also a gamble for Forest’s most valuable asset: their relationship with their fans.
Over the past three seasons, Forest’s fans have been their biggest asset. The noise from the old stadium helped push Steve Cooper’s side to promotion and then kept them in the top flight last season.
Cooper spoke about the club and the city
having “football soul”. But with the club’s current strategy, is it in danger of “selling that soul” to the club’s hierarchy?
There are a number of reasons why raising prices is a smart business move. The most obvious one is to maximise revenue from the product you are selling. (Forest aren’t the first, and won’t be the last, to raise prices).