Roy Keane's newly promoted Sunderland stand to make around €88 million for reaching the Premiership, with the lion's share of that coming from improved television money in addition to anticipated increases in match-day, sponsorship and merchandising income.
The knowledge that this is the reward could make upwardly mobile Championship clubs a target for foreign investors.
A number of top-flight sides have been taken over by overseas businessmen in recent years and, with football finance analysts at Deloitte valuing promotion to the top flight this season at around €88 million per club, some may be tempted to buy into a team in the second tier.
Alex Byars, senior consultant in Deloitte's sports business group, believes it may not be long before investors look to tap into the earning potential of often lower-valued Championship clubs.
"Certainly, the gaps in revenue between Premiership and Championship clubs will be greater than it's ever been in 2007-08," he said, "and it's easy therefore to conclude that someone with some money who wants to potentially take a club from the Championship into the Premiership has quite clear visibility into just how much extra revenue the club will receive if it gets promoted.
"Even if clubs come straight back down, they will earn around €44 million for their one season in the top flight, plus "parachute payments" of more than €14 million in each of the subsequent two seasons.
Sunderland's promotion heroes will miss out on the chance to cap their season with the Championship title if they have partied too hard.
A day after the club announced it had politely declined the offer of an open-top bus parade through the city and a civic reception to mark their return to the Premiership, manager Roy Keane has warned his players the time to enjoy themselves has not yet arrived.
Sunderland head for relegated Luton on Sunday knowing victory at Kenilworth Road coupled with anything less for Birmingham against Preston will hand them their fourth Championship success in 11 years.
However, Keane insists anyone who has over-indulged since promotion was confirmed last weekend will not be involved.
"We want to finish the season on a high and I will be disappointed if we do not win the game," he said.
"But that will be my job over the next few days, watching lads in training because you find people who maybe get a bit carried away with a little bit of success. If players do that at this football club, especially with the game on Sunday, they will not play, they will not travel.
"I find making decisions like that very easy. I will watch players, I will watch their body language in training, who is preparing well, who is doing the warm-ups properly, who is listening to the points we are trying to get across. In this walk of life, some people do party maybe too much after a little bit of success. Those lads will not play on Sunday."
His determination to win at Luton stems from a much more fundamental need. He said: "It would be nice to finish the season off, it would be nice for the players to get something, to get a medal."
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