One thing that promotion might bring us, should we be so lucky, is funds to permanently increase our academy status to Category 1.
We'll be less likely in future to lose our promising youngsters on the cheap.
Another massive bonus if you achieve promotion as well, as whilst you're in the top flight, you're less likely to lose them at a younger age too, if they really excel.
We've got a great academy and have had for decades, as referenced most recently by Sol Brynn, Dael Fry (injured atm unfortunately) and Hayden Hackney being first choice in our starting eleven and the likes of McCormick and Ibeh making the bench and getting minutes. Yet the weak point in the current rules is that a player cannot sign a professional contract until they turn 17.
Prior to Brexit, the biggest clubs would usually hunt for youngsters who showed promise right across the continent, however since then it's a lot harder to bring them in? This means of course that they're scouring the clubs further down the english pyramid far more regularly and poaching more often, most often pouncing shortly before a player turns 17 so they get minimum risk, but most reward.
We're sick of seeing promising 16 1/2 year olds that we've coached and developed since around 8 or 9 years old head off at this point in their lives after we've put the focus on them and making them into awesome prospects for the best part of a decade, just for a hungry big fish to gobble them up with the lure of the bunce at this stage...The latest example being the Palmer Twins, absolutely tearing it up together for the England u-17s, snaffled by Brighton about 4 or 5 weeks before their 17th birthdays just 2 months ago at a cost of practically nothing to Brighton?