Revealed: The financial boost received by Sunderland after their Papa John's Trophy final win at Wembley
Sunderland are set to pocket over £300,000 after lifting the Papa John’s Trophy.
Lynden Gooch’s second half strike saw the Black Cats beat Tranmere Rovers on Sunday afternoon as the tasted Wembley success for the first time since 1973.
It’s the first trophy the club have lifted under the stewardship of Lee Johnson and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus – and fans are certainly hoping is isn’t the last one.
And as well as boosting morale around the club, the cup run has also provided the club with a financial boost.
As part of the reform of the Papa John’s Trophy a few years ago, the prize money in the competition was significantly raised. Teams are now given £20,000 just for entering the tournament and can gain five-figure sums as they progress through the rounds.
And Sunderland’s total earned from the competition during the 2020/21 season stands at £300,000. That figure includes the £50,000 they pocketed for winning the semi-final tie, and the £100,000 gained for beating Tranmere.
While it is hardly a game-changing sum, nor is it an insignificant one during a time where clubs are without fans in grounds.
Sunderland will, however, not receive as much as they did during their run to the 2019 final – given they won’t be able to take a cut of the ticket sales, with the final played behind closed doors as per government regulations.
They will, however, have benefited from increased merchandise sales in the run-up the big game – although the sum likely won’t reach the £1million Sunderland were expected to pocket from their run in the same competition in 2019.