Sussex

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Brighton and Hove Albion could be looking at a top-six finish, and reaching the European dream, but what would that mean for their finances?

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire broke down the costs on the Brighton and Hove Albion podcast.

He explained: "It is really exciting [looking at a top six finish]. Some people have already thought about booking hotels for next May. Which is probably taking things a bit far. We could be in three European competitions, we could be in none. There's a huge buzz of excitement amongst the fanbase."

So is reaching the Champions League a gamechanger for the club, over the other two European competitions financially?

Maguire added: "If you take a look at the distribution of prize money. For every £100 given out in prize money, £74 goes to the Champions League, £18 to the Europa League and £8 to the Europa conference. To a certain extent it's Champions League or nothing."

Maguire explained the Europa Conference League can be difficult for clubs financially, because games are then often played on Sundays and Thursdays - typically more difficult days to sell hospitality packages. In addition, there's the need for a bigger squad.

"You actually make less money from the Premier League if you're in the Europa Conference, you don't make much money yourself," Maguire added.

"Palace have earned £15m this year. But by the time you have paid for travel, player bonuses and invested in an extra two or three match-standard players in the squad, you're actually down in money.

"Some of these revenue streams are overstated. Just how much exposure are you going to get? How much extra shirts are you going to sell? Even if Brighton do get into the Champions League, where are all the eyes? On Liverpool, Arsenal etc. Because they are the bigger brands. There will be people watching Albion, and you're hosting Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, they're great as a one-off. But I don't think it is as lucrative for the ancillary revenue streams.

"Then there's the sensitive issue of how you price the matches. Would they expect prices to be higher? Yes. Then you've got the fan backlash as they're going, 'you've go this money from sponsors, TV, why are you now taking money off us?'

"The Albion need to get that decision right. I don't think they will maximise revenue because Tony Bloom is a Brighton fan. I don't think they will go down that route if they do go there."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds here

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Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann has outlined his idea to improve how corners are officiated in future.

In the aftermath of weekend controversy over players grappling in the penalty area, he has told BBC Sport a rule whereby attacking players cannot enter the six-yard box until a corner has been taken would be his preference.

Ex-Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha backed the idea and thinks it will add "creativity" to corner kicks and the move would force "people to think in a different way".

You can watch a clip of the debate above, with Onuoha stating:"Twenty players standing in the six-yard box, you have to ask yourself, is that what you want to see? And is that the best version of the game?"

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Albion Unlimited from BBC Radio Sussex is back with a new episode.

Midfielder Jack Hinshelwood assesses the win against Wolves. There's chat on Maxim De Cuyper and football finance expert Kieran Maguire explores the possible pros and cons of a second season in Europe.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

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Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up

Joe Sayers
Fan writer

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There comes a point every season when football stops being something you simply watch and starts taking over every spare thought in your life.

For Brighton fans, this is definitely that point.

With just a couple of games remaining and so much still on the line, everything suddenly feels bigger. Work becomes harder to focus on, conversations drift back to permutations and fixtures, and every notification on your phone feels like it could change the mood of your entire week. You try to distract yourself, but somehow football always creeps back in.

So how are everyone's nerves holding up?

Are people throwing themselves into work to avoid overthinking the table? Refreshing social media every five minutes? Watching highlights from earlier in the season for reassurance? Or perhaps convincing yourselves not to look at rival results before inevitably checking them anyway?

That is what makes this stage of the season so brilliant and so exhausting all at once. Every tackle feels massive. Every goal swings emotions wildly. One minute you are dreaming about Europe again, the next you are calculating every possible scenario in your head.

But this is also what being a supporter is all about. These are the moments you remember. The tension, the excitement, the sense of hope building with every passing week.

And the most exciting part of all is that Albion have put themselves in this position through quality, belief and consistency over the course of the season.

Now it comes down to one final push.

The players need us more than ever over these last games. We are so close to achieving something truly special once again, we just have to stay loud, stay proud and get the boys over the line.

Find more from Joe Sayers at Albion Obsessed, external