Harrogate Town prepares for £1 million game
by
Jul 27, 2020
Wembley Stadium

Harrogate Town is in line for a million-pound windfall if it beats Notts County at Wembley on Sunday and gains promotion to the English Football League.

The football club secured its place in the final after beating Boreham Wood 1-0 on Saturday at the CNG Stadium thanks to a 65th-minute goal from Jack Muldoon.

Town’s history boys will play at Wembley for the first time in the club’s existence — and promotion from the National League could help take the club to the next level financially.

Each League Two club receives £472,000 a season as a “basic award” from the EFL which is their share of the league’s five-year £595m broadcasting deal with Sky Sports.

The Premier League also gives clubs £430,000 as a “solidarity payment” — which is designed to trickle some of the league’s riches down the football pyramid.


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Gate receipts are vitally important for lower league clubs and a new Family Stand costing £750,000 is currently being built at the CNG which will take capacity up to 5,000. The club is hoping a ticket prize freeze for next season will help fill it.

However, this could be curtailed by social distancing restrictions that will be in place for at least the first couple of months of the new season, which is rumoured to begin in September.

Harrogate Town FC

Town players celebrate after winning their place in the play-off final. Picture: Matt Kirkham Harrogate Town

For the first time in its history, Town would also play in the League Cup, entering in round one, which comes with a minimum bonus of £5,000 even if they get knocked out.

If the club made the draw for the second round, it would be in the hat for potential money-spinning ties with some Premier League clubs — including newly-promoted Leeds United.


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Promotion to the EFL does not guarantee a gilded existence and several League Two clubs are in financial peril, with Bury kicked out of the league in 2019 due to financial struggles.

While the financial benefits of promotion are tantalising for Town fans, seeing their club in the EFL for the first time in its 101-year history would be priceless.