40 years of Notts County FC's Lifeline scheme

LifeLine was first launched on Monday 15 September 1986 at the Astoria nightclub (now Ocean). 1500 Notts County supporters were in there, of which I was one, with hundreds more outside trying to get in. Jack Dunnett was the chairman and Notts had run up a £2 million debt and were facing liquidation. It was a turbulent time for the club and people were genuinely concerned about this threatening our existence.

We are living in good times now at Meadow Lane, on and off the pitch. We currently have owners who have (thus far at least) done nothing but good, promoting a sustainable financial model which has seen two promotions and a careful approach to player budgets. At times this frustrates the supporters, because many clubs around us are spending more money and getting into debt, but it is hard to argue against when we think back to 1986.

In the four decades since then the Lifeline scheme has now raised over £4 million. Some notable benefits for Notts have been for ground improvements, the safe-standing development, an indoor training surface at Meadow Lane, technological additions for matchdays and community project inputs.

In Colin Slater’s book (Tied up in Notts) about his six decades commentating on Notts for Radio Nottingham, he devotes an entire chapter to ‘Times of Crisis’. There have been several times over the years when Notts County have been close to bankruptcy and we saw another after this book’s publication in 2019, when Football Radar entered the scene to save the day. 

The birth of Lifeline was one of several moments of ‘near extinction’ but it is unique in the sense that the collective action of supporters was the focus of the ‘Blueprint for Survival’ created by Dunnett ahead of his retirement. It was initially inspired by a similar project generated by Bolton Wanderers a few years before. Slater, who acted as the MC on the famous Astoria evening, reports that the architects of the scheme were hoping for a few hundred to gather to hear about their plans. In the end, the Astoria was so packed that Dunnett himself was initially refused entry 

Here’s how Slater tells it: “Every member of the Meadow Lane staff was there, including all the players. A special moment came when I had the pleasure of introducing two truly iconic figures, Tommy Lawton and Jimmy Sirrell. It was the first and probably the only time they occupied the same platform to an, inevitably, huge ovation.” 

Reflecting on his involvement with Lifeline since its inception, club record scorer and iconic legend of the lane,

Notts County’s club record goalscorer Les Bradd, spoke to me in early August, the day after he took part in the annual Lifeline Golf Day. Bradd had initially been tasked by Chief Executive Neal Hook to travel to Bolton on a fact-finding mission. Alf Davies, who was running the scheme at Bolton, accepted an invitation to speak at the Astoria. Les also remembered that Derek Pavis was in the audience that night, as one potential future investor being encouraged to get involved. The rest of that is certainly history.

“At the end of the evening, we had 1,300 people signed up to pay £2 a week,” Les told me. “We launched Lifeline fully shortly after with 2000 members, for a scheme that had a maximum of 2500. You have to consider that £2 was a lot of money in 1986. Since then Lifeline has been such an important resource for Notts County since and has helped save the club from extinction on two, maybe three occasions.”

In the full-to-capacity Astoria, fans also heard from Dunnett and then club captain Steve Sims. The Sheriff of Nottingham was also presented and local chart-topping band Paper Lace also made a live appearance. Director John Mounteney, being the broker of the Pavis connection, was also on the panel. Highly significant for ‘cult hero’ enthusiasts, a certain Declan Edge is also pictured on the second row of the rostrum.

With Lifeline being created and sustained as independent from the club, it raises a sum in the region of £130 - £150k each year. Les describes the value of the independence in ensuring that the relationship with the football club is consistent, regardless of the frequent changes and the many ups and downs of Notts’ ownership in these forty years. The only changes are the extent of ‘bailing out’ required, with Les reassuring me about how fantastic the current owners are to work with. 

Lynn Lawson, the Lifeline Chairperson, is a familiar face to Notts fans as the retail manager and thus a constant presence in the club shop. Like Les, she is clear that the scheme “has saved the club at least twice” and adds “we have also paid staff wages”. However, Lynn also cites the lower profile but essential inputs from Lifeline that enhance customer experience like buying new turnstiles or a scoreboard. Lynn also sees Lifeline as a community, telling me “our members and their families are very loyal and most have stuck with us for forty years.” 

So let’s circle back to that opening night at The Astoria. That choice of venue is still surprising, but it adds a ‘classic Notts’ edge of surrealism. Multi-millionaire Barry Noble had bought what had been the Sherwood Rooms in 1984 and placed both his name and his memorable slogan 'Is That Alright Fyuzs' on the front of the club. There might seem to be a pretty big clash of ‘vibes’ between this 1980s nightclub and a ‘last ditch’ plan for survival of the oldest football league club. However, if you are reading this, you are likely to be one of the thousands of people who care about Notts County. So what happened there that night, and the launch of Lifeline - which is still going strong after four decades - has turned out, very much ‘alright f’yuz’.

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