Posts tagged BristolCity at FanHouse

Wednesday's UEFA Champions League Final might have been the most prestigious club soccer match in the world, but in terms of hard cash, it was far from the most lucrative. Sure, professors can calculate the economic impact of winning the European Cup, but Manchester United's cash prize from UEFA for beating Chelsea was a mere £5.6 million -- and judging from the size of their debt, Man U will need every penny of it.

That prize, however, pales in comparison to what the winner of tomorrow's Coca-Cola Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium will receive. Either Bristol City or Hull City will win promotion to the Premier League, which guarantees them at least £60 million over the next three seasons -- roughly £38 million (or more) in TV revenue for 2008-2009, plus parachute payments of £11.2 million a year for two years if they get relegated after one season.

Bristol City hasn't been in the top flight of English football since 1979 and was in the third-tier League One just last season. Hull City, meanwhile, has never played top-flight football in its 104-year existence. Picture two random dudes in a bar playing one-on-one basketball against each other, and the winner gets a hot date with Marisa Miller. Yeah, it's kind of like that.

Bristol City supporters celebrated a 2-1 victory in extra time over Crystal Palace in the Coca-Cola Championship playoffs the only way they knew how -- with a big fat pitch invasion. We could consult with Adam Rank about whether it was proper or not, but considering that Bristol City was playing Leyton Orient and Huddersfield in League One last season and now finds itself one win away from the Premier League this season, we should just let them enjoy the moment.

Bristol City beat Crystal Palace 4-2 on aggregate and will face the winner of the Hull City v. Watford series in Wembley Stadium on May 24. Hull has a 2-0 lead over Watford after the first leg.