In a previous blog, I discussed the promotion/relegation system and why I favor it. I used the English football ladder system as an example. In this blog, I will pay special focus to the most lucrative single match in football, otherwise known as the playoff final.
The playoff final decides the third and final team that will be promoted to the Premier League for the following season. The league below the Premier League is called the Championship, and is home to 24 teams. The Championship is known for its especially grueling season, as each team must play 46 league matches along with multiple cup competitions. It takes a special type of grit to get out of the Championship.
The top two finishers in the Championship gain automatic promotion to the Premier League. However, teams finishing in the position 3rd through 6th are placed into a four-team playoff, of which the winner will be promoted to the Premier League. This means a team can finish in 6th and be promoted to the top flight, as long as they win the playoff.
Above is the current Championship table. As you can see, first and second are denoted in dark green. Those spots offer automatic promotion to the top flight. Third place through sixth place, highlighted in light green, offer a berth into the playoff. The bottom three teams, just like in the Premier League, will be relegated to the league below.
The playoff semi-finals are a two-legged affair, pinning 3rd place against 6th place and 4th place against 5th place. The first match is hosted by the lower-seeded team. The aggregate score of the two fixtures decides who moves on. If the score is even after conclusion of the second match, 30 minutes of extra time is played. If it is still even, kicks from the penalty spot are used to decide a winner.
Unlike many other competition, there is no away-goal tiebreaker. Goals scores at home and away count just the same.
These matches offer immense drama and are often very tight, for each team knows what's at streak. For the winners, a spot in a one-off match at the national stadium, Wembley — the Playoff Final.
The playoff final is referred to as the most lucrative single game in world football, for the winner will play in the Premier League next season, while the loser is condemned to play in the Championship yet again. As I discussed in my last blog, the difference in revenue between the Championship and Premier League is roughly $133m pounds, which essentially means that this single game of football is worth 133m pounds (roughly 170m US dollars).
Imagine as a player knowing that much money hinges on 90 minutes of football. Or as a manager. Or as an owner. Oftentimes the match is very boring to the neutral fan, as both teams know how much is on the line, so neither team wants to make a mistake. There have been times where one team really seizes the day and the other team really just doesn't show up, which is shocking in a single match of this magnitude.
As a spectator you can almost feel the tension from beyond the screen. As a fan of a team who has played in the playoff final, I can attest to the fact that it is an emotionally draining experience. One lives and dies by every kick of the ball in that match.
It is a great receipt for massive entertainment though. It makes every game mean more to every team that is near the playoff positions down the stretch of the season, as teams near the automatic promotion slots fight to secure automatic promotion and not fall into the playoff, while teams just outside the playoff spots fight to get in. It really creates great football and great drama.
The institution of the playoffs has created many historic matches. Here is a link to the 2013-2014 playoff final, in which Queens Park Rangers defeated Derby County 1-0 despite only having one shot on target and having a man sent off. Football can be a cruel game.
In one of the most historic games in English football, Watford played host to Leicester City in the second leg of the playoff semi-final in 2013. The video speaks for itself.
Although this was not in the final, it shows what it means to the players and teams to have an opportunity to compete in the final. Watford actually ended up losing the 2013 playoff final 1-0 to Crystal Palace.
Most everyone can look back on that historic match now and laugh, as Watford and Leicester both reside in the Premier League now, and Leicester went from this heartbreak to winning the Premier League in four short years. Even Anthony Knockaert, the player who dove to draw the penalty and who himself missed the penalty, is playing in the Premier League for Brighton and Hove Albion now. So despite the immense amount of drama and heartbreak in the moment, everyone turned out okay in the end.
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