Finance Expert: West Brom could miss out on ‘huge amount of money’ due to Premier League development
We’re delighted to welcome football finance expert Dr Daniel Plumley as our exclusive West Brom columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns...
West Brom could feel the financial impact of FA Cup replays being axed due to how gate receipts are divided, according to Dr Dan Plumley.
The Telegraph reported on 19 September that the Premier League is seeking a ‘New Deal for Football’ and part of the changes would see FA Cup third and fourth round replays being binned off. Clubs who are playing in Europe could also be excluded from the League Cup.
However, the mooted changes set to be opposed by EFL clubs with the Mirror reporting on 20 September that “financial guarantees” are needed for those lower down the pyramid.
Plumley, a football finance expert, says even the bigger clubs in the EFL – like West Brom – would feel the financial impact of the reduced chance of playing in big stadiums in the cups.
“It’s a viable stance,” Plumley told West Brom News.
“We look at some of the numbers throughout history and okay, there’s no guarantee you’re going to get a big draw.
“Even though West Brom are a big club in their own right, if you get a replay at a big stadium with the gate receipts split in the FA Cup with clubs taking 45 per cent each, that’s a huge amount of money you’re generating.
“If that opportunity is taken away then I think the clubs are quite within their rights to look at that in terms of compensation.
“That will be one of the sticking points in this ‘New Deal for Football’.
“For me, it’s what’s the EFL’s take on it and how will they react.
“If you’re scrapping FA Cup replays, that will hurt the smaller clubs further down the pyramid but it’ll also hurt clubs like West Brom as well.”
In other West Brom news, Albion are struggling to sell tickets for a match this weekend with fewer than 10,000 sold.