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Charlton Athletic secured their Championship return on Sunday afternoon, after six years away from the division, with victory over Leyton Orient at Wembley.
It was more play-off success for the Addicks, with a jubilant Nathan Jones now planning for life back in the second tier following some tough periods in his managerial career with Southampton and Stoke City.
He will meet his former clubs in the Championship, but work needs to start quickly in the transfer window, as the South-East London outfit look to survive the drop, with both Birmingham City and Wrexham joining them from League One.
The play-off final weekend saw great drama, with Sunderland perhaps stealing the show thanks to Tommy Watson’s 95th minute winner over Sheffield United, but Charlton will be pleased with their own exploits which have led to a financial gain.
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Financial expert weighs in on how much Charlton Athletic have gained following promotion
It was Macaulay Gillesphey’s first-half free kick that saw the Addicks take their place in the Championship for 2025/26, and his goal is worth more than just a moment, with Charlton now set to be boosted significantly off the pitch.
In terms of the gain that Jones’ team will get from winning promotion from League One, EFL Analysis’ football finance expert Adam Williams said: “The cliff edge between League One and the Championship isn’t actually too dissimilar to the gap between the Premier League and Championship in proportionate terms, though of course the aggregate amount is huge.
“In the Premier League, you get £100m-plus in broadcast revenue. In the Championship, it’s about £11m, and in League One it’s £2m. So the jump from League One to the second tier is worth an extra £9m. It’s 450 per cent increase in TV revenue.
“So I think Charlton’s total revenue will be in the region of £20m or so next season. That’s still quite low in Championship terms. It would have put them in the bottom third of the table last season in terms of turnover.”
Adam continued: “Paradoxically, it’s actually worth a bit more coming up via the play-offs than it is automatically. You get a cut of the gate receipts at Wembley. Charlton’s share might have been as high as £1m, so it’s not an insignificant sum at all.
“So promotion is worth about £9m in annual revenue plus an extra £1m from Wembley. You’re also guaranteed at least £3m in parachute payments if you go straight back down again. It might have even nudged up a little bit since the EFL released their distribution data.
“All in all, it’s £14m guaranteed.”
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Nathan Jones will have plenty of work to do this summer
Charlton had a rollercoaster of a 2024/25 season, with both them and their Wembley opponents, Leyton Orient, finding themselves in the bottom half of the table in the first few months.
However, he went back to basics, and the Addicks started to show why many had tipped them to be in the play-off shout at the start of the campaign, with Nathan Jones’ defensive style working effectively in League One.
Nevertheless, utilising a similar style is tough in the Championship – as Paul Warne found out with Derby County before he was sacked in February.
He has to use Charlton’s financial gain positively and, with such a competitive campaign in the second tier ahead of them, they must pick up early results to not be cut adrift as fighting back late on will be very difficult.