Forfar boss Dick Campbell reckons promotion from League One will still be seen as a lucrative proposition, even though the division could potentially lose the likes of Hearts and Rangers next season.
Hearts host Rangers on Saturday in a game that is already being billed as hugely important in the race for promotion to the Premiership, although the introduction of play-offs means that one or both could yet make the step back up to the top flight in May.
With them would go a sizeable income stream for clubs in next season’s Championship, but Campbell stressed that will not stop clubs like Forfar from trying to get there.
“My brother Iain owns Avenue Scotland and I’m the general manager and if you’ve got £20,000 going out you need £20,000 coming in,” Campbell explained.
“To do that you need to find ways of getting it in and that’s what I do.
“At Forfar, we had a phenomenal season last season with Rangers being in the league, and we were lucky to draw them in the cup as well.
“I think we were the only team to beat them last year.
“But you look at the likes of Cowdenbeath this season.
“What a season they are having, that’s £50,000 against Rangers recently and another £40,000 against Hibs. It’s utopia for them.
“And clubs like Cowdenbeath will live for the next 10 years on the back of that.
“But it will still be great for the clubs who go up this year because you’ll have at least one of the big three, and potentially one coming down from the Premiership.
“Make no mistake about it, I want to take Forfar up and I want a crack at the Championship.
“Gordon Strachan was saying that he wants to find a way for Rangers, Hibs and Hearts to go back up.
“I think we all are but you have to do it the right way by winning leagues and winning games.”
Forfar remain right in the thick of things near the top of League One, just a point adrift of new leaders Morton after the Loons’ 3-3 draw at Brechin on Saturday.
Campbell’s men will host seventh-placed Ayr United this weekend.