Phil SumblerIt is an annual statement. “The richest game in football” and one that will ring true again at Wembley tomorrow as the Swans take on Brentford with the prize for the winners a place in the Premier League for next season, for the losers it is Championship football once again.
The difference between winning and losing really could not be greater. For the winners it is a guaranteed one season with Premier League income which is followed by guaranteed parachute payments even if relegation comes in twelve months time. For the losers it will be Championship football for at least another season and a budget that will be a small fraction of the one available to the winner.
It has been estimated that the Swans promotion in 2011 was almost worth a mind boggling £1 billion to the football club when you factor in a seven year stay, transfer income, gate income, merchandise sales and the subsequent parachute payments of which we have been in receipt since our relegation in 2018.
That number is not just mind boggling but it is a stark reality of what else comes with promotion. You have increased playing contracts, mind boggling transfer fees, wage demands, agent fees and an expenditure column that has higher numbers in it than your average Euro millions top jackpot.
I always remember a discussion with the football club shortly after promotion in 2011 where they talked about the Premier League delegation that arrived not that long after the dust had settled on the play off win. They had with them a list of things the club had to comply with to play in their division. Seats for media, electronic advertising boards, camera positions and the like were just some of them. Of course next season, VAR requirements will be there and lets not forget that some of the endless advertising we see is centrally negotiated and has to be displayed.
We have seen it all to closely that whilst the figures talked about in the Premier League are indeed mind boggling they do not necessarily contribute to make clubs richer. In some ways we are lucky because we have some state of the art training facilities and we invested in youth which has paid dividends in the last few years in particular but we didn’t drop out with a pot full of cash. We dropped out with a wage bill that the Championship cannot sustain (even with parachute payments) and only now would we be getting back on an even keel (or at least closer to it if it were not for the pandemic that has meant minimal gate revenue for 15 months)
There should be a word of caution for both sides ahead of tomorrow in that whoever makes the step up then use the money wisely. You can use it to make yourself stronger even if it means a couple of immediate relegations. Fulham and Norwich are good current examples of this. West Brom and Burnley are good examples of the past. Make wise decisions and don’t be drawn into the demands that will come from players and clubs alike.
The Championship striker you have been watching all season is all of a sudden valued at a few million more and his wage demands are up 20%. If he is worth it, pay it but don’t get drawn. He needs the move more than you need him. Brendan and Michael did this right when we first got promoted, those that followed them fell into the trap of overpaying for many players.
A promotion to the Premier League if managed wisely can really make a difference to a long term future of the club and we have to hope that if it is us that wins tomorrow we do it the wise way and learn from the mistakes of the past.
So whilst it is the richest game in football, it is not necessarily the clubs that get rich. Many people do but it is not always the clubs unless they approach that promotion with caution and make decisions for the good of the football club first and foremost. Staying there should not be at all costs. Wise words known from experience.
£170m up for grabs over 90 minutes of football. Wow!
