View: Sunderland Women derby clash to provide healthy windfall as new ground broken
Sunderland Women will be due a tidy influx in finance ahead of a record-breaking encounter against Newcastle United this Sunday (13 October).
According to the Sunderland Echo (8 October), the club expects over 12,000 supporters to be in attendance this weekend, smashing the previous Championship record set by Sheffield United which stood at 11,137 in November 2022 when they faced London City Lionesses.
The occasion will provide a boatload of opportunities both on and off the pitch as Mel Reay’s side look to build on a decent run of form following a disappointing start to the league campaign.
The Stadium of Light will host the two sides and it could spell good news for the club going forward.
A huge financial and commercial opportunity
Whilst the game provides a big opportunity for Reay’s side on the pitch, it arguably provides an even bigger one off of it.
With tickets priced at £6 for adults and £3 for U22’s, Sunderland women could bank themselves a potential £72,000 from ticket sales alone, although obviously with a lot of those in attendance likely to be children it might not quite those heights.
That added to the inevitable money raised from food and merchandise sales, provides a solid influx of cash for the club.
However, it also presents a massive commercial opportunity for the club. A good performance and an even better result could open the door to many more supporters who wouldn’t usually attend women’s fixtures which would again boost not just finances going forward, but also interest in the women’s game in general.
Reay’s side had a remarkable campaign last season despite falling just short of promotion and a larger fanbase would provide a boost for players, staff and the club as a whole allowing them to compete at a much higher level and perhaps a level they deserve to be playing at.
In other Sunderland news, Graeme Murty shares what must be avoided after Tommy Watson impressed for the Under-21s.
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