Football
ESPN staff 8y

Middlesbrough Brighton promotion game is worth £170m - Deloitte

There is £170 million at stake when Middlesbrough take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

The winner of the Championship's winner-takes-all fixture will secure the second automatic promotion place to the Premier League, where they will earn £95m for the season thanks to the new TV rights deal.

And the remainder of the £170m figure will come from parachute payments if the clubs are relegated, according to Deloitte.

Avoid relegation and that figure could grow by about 41 percent.

"This has been one of the most competitive seasons in recent history at the top of the Championship," Richard Battle, senior manager in Deloitte's sports business group, said. "The beauty of football is its unpredictability, and it will be only when the final whistle blows at the Riverside that we will be sure which team will gain promotion to the Premier League and in turn earn football's most lucrative prize.

"Promotion to the Premier League provides clubs with the resources to make strategic investments on and off the pitch.

"While the short-term priority is usually investment in the playing squad, a strong emphasis on ongoing financial stability can leave a club well positioned for the future -- whether or not they survive that first season."

Burnley have already secured one of the two automatic promotion spots, but Middlesbrough and Brighton are tied on points going into their final game of the season -- with Boro ahead on goal difference.

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