The Imps will receive a major financial boost from Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea, win, lose or draw.
The visit of the Premier League giants is set to hand the Imps a six-figure windfall that CEO Liam Scully says will be reinvested into the club.
A Financial Lift at the Bank
Tomorrow’s tie is one of the biggest occasions Sincil Bank has witnessed in recent years. It is a sell-out with over 10,000 fans expected, while Sky Sports’ live coverage ensures further income on top of the gate receipts. Some reports suggest the evening could deliver around £250,000 to City’s coffers, a significant injection for a League One club. Chief executive Liam Scully underlined the value of the draw, both on and off the pitch.
“Cup ties like this are huge first and foremost for what it means to our players, staff, fans and community, but there is also significant financial benefit which comes with facing a team like Chelsea,” he told City AM.
“The revenue which will be generated as a result of a single fixture like this across gate share, broadcasting and commercial deals will be a considerable outlier to previous seasons and allow for us to invest back into the club.”
Scully compared the windfall to landing a major sponsorship deal, stressing that games of this magnitude can transform budgets at League One level.
Learning From the Past
The Imps have recent experience of making the most of such occasions. Their FA Cup run in 2017 brought a lucrative quarter-final at Arsenal, and the proceeds were used to fund the EPC, a game-changer in terms of attracting players.
That facility has since helped develop academy graduates, such as Jovon Makama, and was cited by Erik Ring as a contributing factor in his move here during our meet and greet a week or two ago.
“You just need to rewind a few years to see exactly what that can do too,” Scully added. “The money generated from that cup run allowed us to build a new training ground, an investment which we are seeing returns on with record sales made this summer from academy products.”
Proud night, whatever the result
I often sound a little downbeat ahead of a big cup tie. I recall going to Everton in the FA Cup and not being excited, and playing down the same opposition in this competition in 2019. For personal reasons, tomorrow will be an even prouder, emotional moment than a usual big cup tie.
However, the mercenary in me, who sees Lincoln City as a growing business needing exposure and revenue, can understand why this tie is huge. Southampton, in the same competition, was not – they were Premier League, but a pre-Christmas trip to a half-empty stadium does not scream ‘proud moment’. Watching the Imps at home, in a packed Sincil Bank against the World Champions, really does, whatever the result.
Even without that, today’s report gives us 250,000 reasons why it is a night to be cherished!
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