Neil Champney

Tue 9 June 2020 14:30, UK

When we think about the prospect of Leeds United being promoted this summer, the last thing that crosses a fan’s is the financial impact. 

Booking a place in the top flight is obviously massively advantageous in monetary sense, but after 16 years of waiting, it pales in comparison to what it would mean from a footballing point of view.

That being said, given the adverse effects that the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic is having on clubs across the length and breadth of the professional game, if there was ever a time that an extra cash injection would come in useful, it’s right now.

And that point has only been reemphasised by Leeds Live’s latest piece on the matter.

The local outlet have crunched the numbers from last season’s Championship, and it would appear that the Whites are set to feel the squeeze of playing matches behind closed doors a lot more acutely than most sides.

For each of the 26 homes games Leeds played last season, the club earned an average of £485,108 per outing.

That means that gate receipts represented 26% of Leeds’ £48.92 million turnover.

Only Millwall (31%), Nottingham Forest (30%), Norwich (29%), and Sheffield United (28%) had a higher percentage of their revenue generated from match days.

It also means that with five games still scheduled to play at Elland Road this term, the Whites could lose £2 million before the end of this season alone.

And that’s without taking into consideration how much longer fans will not be allowed into grounds.

In short, the lucrative TV deals that are commonplace in the top flight would be hugely beneficial in the near future.

That’s not to say that missing out on promotion would automatically be catastrophic, but certainly, things would be a lot comfier if we were to make it out of the Championship in the coming weeks.

In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay responds to question on whether potential EFL rule change will disadvantage Leeds.