Premiership entry 'is worth £60m'

Sunderland's turnaround has won them promotion this season

Promotion from the Football League Championship to the Premiership this season will be worth about £60m for the successful clubs, a report says.

The three promoted teams - which already include Birmingham and Sunderland - are guaranteed at least £35m extra revenue, Deloitte said.

And if teams are subsequently relegated they will get "parachute payments" of £20m over the next two seasons.

A Wembley play-off final on 28 May will decide the third team to win promotion.

On Sunday, the last league games of the season will determine the four teams to fight it out for the remaining place.

"Those games promise drama and tension on the pitch, on the terraces and in the boardroom," said director of Deloitte's Sports Business Group, Paul Rawnsley.

Struggling newcomers

Most of the money comes from domestic and overseas broadcasting deals which begin in the 2007/08 season.

RACE FOR £60M PRIZE Already promoted: Birmingham Sunderland Also in contention: Derby County West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers Southampton Stoke City Preston North End Colchester United

The domestic TV rights auction generated £1.7bn ($3.1bn) for the Premier League, with BSkyB paying £1.3bn for its four packages of games and Setanta £392m for its two.

Meanwhile the overseas rights were sold for £625m.

The better that the promoted teams do in the league, the more money they will receive.

And while many promoted sides struggle in the top flight - such as Watford, which is heading straight back down after a difficult 2006/07 season - some clubs have thrived and managed to penetrate the top end of the league.

"The immediate revenue boost can provide promoted clubs with finances to help bridge the gap between Championship and Premiership revenues," said Alex Byars of Deloitte, which compiles an annual review of football finance.

"Excluding the biggest five or six clubs, most of the other Premiership clubs will be relatively evenly-matched in financial terms in 2007/08.

"Carrying the winning mentality from the Championship, whilst raising the club's operations to a Premiership level, is likely to determine whether or not the promoted clubs stay up."