67 Hail Hail’s finance expert Adam Williams has named how much Celtic could really earn if they beat Utrecht to qualify for the next phase of the Europa League.
Celtic host the Dutch side in their final game of the league phase, knowing that a win will guarantee qualification to the play-off stage.
Utrecht lost their fourth game in a row at the weekend and are seemingly in free-fall.
Given how the season has gone, a win for the Hoops would be a huge morale booster going into the final stretch of the current campaign.
It would also help line the pockets of the club even further, and 67 Hail Hail can reveal what Celtic would really earn.
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Will Celtic qualify for the next stage of the Europa League?
How much Celtic could earn from Europa League run?
As it stands, Celtic are 24th in the table and occupy the final play-off spot.
Finishing there or above is the aim, with the difference between qualifying and missing out looking like a costly sum.
Explaining why, finance expert Williams said: “Celtic are right on the precipice. There are seven figures worth of revenue on the line here, with quite a few different factors to consider.
“Each place in the table is worth about £65,000 for starters. Let’s say they beat Utrecht and finish, say, three places higher than their current position in the table. That will get them an extra £260,000, which isn’t to be sniffed at. You then get another £260,000 or so for reaching the play-off rounds. You’d also get an extra £390,000 for getting three points. That’s the fixed revenue that is at stake here.
How would you use the money earned from Celtic’s Europa League run?
“You then also have an extra matchday at Parkhead in the play-off round. You can charge decent prices for a knockout game, especially given that they would be going up against a seeded team and there are a few of those who would make interesting opponents – a Porto, Nottingham Forest and so on. Matchday income last season was £60m, though that was when they were in the Champions League.
“But even so, you’re probably looking at £2m through the turnstiles and in hospitality, refreshments and so on.
“So you’re getting towards £3m revenue as a minimum benchmark. Of course, you have to subtract some of the more hidden costs from that – player bonuses, administrative expenses, stewarding and so on. That’s harder to work out. But we can be fairly confident in terms of the revenue assumption. Beyond that, the knockout rounds get much more lucrative.”
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