The build-up to Bank Holiday Monday’s Championship Play-Off final between Reading & Huddersfield Town will inevitably focus on the potential financial windfall that is coming the way of the Wembley winners.
Various price-tags will be placed on the ‘richest game in the world’ (I've seen £170m in one report) and that will be the main thrust of the coverage, ahead of what promises to be quite an intriguing battle between the two teams and their respective managers, Jaap Stam at Reading and David Wagner of Huddersfield.
In terms of this blog and its focus, this is a meeting of two clubs who have featured heavily here and on our Twitter page.
With the Royals there has been a general theme of significantly reduced prices for home cup ties over the past few seasons and regular free admission to Under 23 games played at the Madejski Stadium.
Add into that their ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ pledge last summer, which saw away tickets capped at £20 and matching prices for home supporters in the Eamon Dolan Stand (with a £2 membership card) and some worthwhile extra touches on travel to and from the stadium.
Huddersfield, were the main story of last summer in terms of pricing after their decision to offer season tickets for £179 sparked a huge response from supporters.
Home matches this season have been played out in front of increased crowds and in a positive atmosphere helped, of course, by the success that Wagner has had in transforming his squad.
It's impossible to quantify whether the better attendances and upbeat vibe has won the Terriers any extra points on the pitch but the shrewdness of chairman Dean Hoyle in making the offer was that he could clearly see behind the scenes that Wagner was capable of doing something special and looked to add to the feel-good factor by subsidising season tickets from television revenues.
And many Huddersfield fans travelling to Wembley over the Bank Holiday Weekend will be doing so having snapped up £199 season tickets for 2017/18 when they could be watching Premier League football in West Yorkshire.
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