Coventry City sell out Wembley ticket allocation for Championship play-off final

Coventry City had 40,000 fans at their last trip to Wembley in 2018 - the League Two play-off final win over Exeter City

Promotion-chasing Coventry City have sold out their ticket allocation for Saturday's Championship play-off final with Luton Town at Wembley.

The Sky Blues were allocated 36,237 tickets for the game - but all general admission tickets have sold-out - with only tickets for disabled fans left.

Tickets went on sale within 12 hours of Wednesday's 1-0 semi-final win at Middlesbrough.

City are making their third trip to Wembley in seven seasons.

But, unless the English Football League make more tickets available, this will be the smallest Sky Blues following at the new Wembley.

They were watched by 42,500 Coventry fans when they beat Oxford United to win the EFL Trophy in 2017.

There were then 40,000 for the League Two play-off final win over Exeter City in 2018.

City fans will be located in Wembley's West End - the same end they had for their previous victories.

Coventry also famously won their only previous final at the old Wembley, the 1987 3-2 FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur, when the ticket allocation was limited to 25,000 per club.

They did also play at Wembley against Everton in August 1987 in the Charity Shield, which they lost 1-0, but, in terms of Wembley finals, their record is flawless.

As of Friday, Luton had sold 28,600 of their allocated 36,493 seats.

Wembley has a stadium capacity of 90,000 but that includes the Club Wembley tickets in the Olympic Gallery, which do not always get used.

Sky Blues could generate seven-fold income boost

If Coventry do win on Saturday and return to the Premier League for the first time since relegation in 2001, football finance expert Kieran Maguire predicts promotion could be worth at least £140m.

Maguire told BBC CWR that Coventry will earn at least seven times more revenue next season if they go back up to the top flight - and that the whole of Coventry will benefit too.

"Last year Coventry generated £18m from ticket sales, commercial arrangements and TV," said Maguire.

"If they go up to the Premier League, that is going to go about £130-140m minimum - and that is the worst case scenario, finishing bottom.

"For every additional place you finish higher, there is an extra £3m.

"It is very much driven by the broadcasting deal. The Premier League is exported to 198 countries around the world.

"And then you have the ancillary benefits as you will have TV crews coming to Coventry from all around the world, which is great news for the chamber of commerce. It is a chance for the city to showcase itself, as well as the positive benefit it has on the football club.

Coventry were relegated from the Premier League in May 2001 when they lost a 2-0 lead provided by a first-half Moustapha Hadji double to lose 3-2 to Aston Villa

"On average in the Championship a new shirt deal is worth half to one million pounds. In the Premier League it is more like seven to eight million.

"There are opportunities to set up new commercial arrangements of partners of individual products, you've no reason to increase ticket prices as you're going from 23 matches in the Championship to 19 in the Premier League and when it comes to hospitality packages, once again it's a different story.

"Selling Barnsley on a Tuesday night is hard work for the commercial department. But, if you've got Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool or Manchester City coming to town, everyone wants a piece of the action and you price accordingly.

"But costs do go up too. Take a club like Crystal Palace, who have been in the Premier League for 20 years, they made a profit in their first year but they have lost money ever since.

"And wages go up too, and, if you then survive a season in the Premier League, then the players and their representatives come back knocking at the door again."