FA Cup dreams retain golden hue for clubs

CLUBS taking part in the FA Cup have earned nearly £650m in revenue over the last decade, a study by accountants Deloitte has found.

Although the value of television rights to the screen Cup ties has declined from a 2002 peak, a significant increase in prize money in the last three years has meant the competition retains a financial relevance for clubs throughout the football pyramid, the report said.

The Football Association are forecasted to distribute £24m of prize money and television revenues from ITV and ESPN this season, though this is over £2m less than 10 years ago.

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Last season, Manchester City, who beat Stoke City 1-0 in the final at Wembley, earned £3.4m in prize money and £0.9m in television revenue – nearly a fifth of the total amount available for all 759 entrants.

Runners-up Stoke earned £2.1m, only four per cent of their total club income for the season.

But the FA Cup remains a lifeline for smaller clubs. Crawley Town, then a Conference side, earned £1.5m in prize money as a result of a run last season which culminated in a fifth-round tie with Manchester United. The match at Old Trafford made them £1m alone.

Conference South club Havant and Waterlooville earned £600,000 from a run to the fourth round in 2007-2008 – 70 per cent of their income for the season.

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And Burton Albion’s run to the third round in 2005-2006, which saw them force a replay with Manchester United, delivered around £500,000 in gate receipts and £200,000 in television money.

The FA’s general secretary Alex Horne said: “What this report reveals is the huge financial incentives for teams participating in the FA Cup.

“You only have to look at Crawley Town last season, who earned £1m from a single game against Manchester United, a truly phenomenal amount of money for a then non-league club.”

The 16 teams who progress from this weekend’s fourth-round ties will each receive £90,000 in prize money alone. A Premier League or Championship team which enters in the third round and goes on to win the competition will earn at least £3.4m.

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Gate receipts over the last 10 years have totalled £413m, with the number of spectators 22.7m.

Matches between the third and sixth rounds see gate receipts shared between the two teams, a ‘pool’ of extra money for Premier and Football League sides and a ‘pot’ channelled through the FA for non-league clubs which reach the first round proper.

Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn, said: “It’s a big chance for all small clubs to have their moment in the sun and get a little bit of glory, whilst the financial returns are fantastic. It is miles ahead of everything else.”

Orient earned £1.4m through a run to a fifth-round tie against Arsenal last season.