Colchester United have been boosted by a cash windfall after their Carabao Cup clash against Aston Villa was chosen for live television coverage.
The U’s will receive a £75,000 broadcast fee for their first-round meeting with the Championship side at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, after it was selected to be screened on Sky Sports on Wednesday, August 9, kick-off 7.45pm.
The five-figure sum will come as a big lift to Colchester ahead of the forthcoming League Two season – and general manager Tim Waddington said the news is a boost for everyone.
Waddington told the Daily Gazette: “It’s superb for the club.
“It’s a significant amount of money for us and a real windfall, good and early.
“Any revenue we receive for television coverage is an extra bonus and we don’t budget for it, because it’s unpredictable.
“The budgets are all done, set up and worked on in advance but whatever we earn from this fixture will go back into the club.
“To be drawn against a club like Aston Villa at home was golden for us.
“It will be a very tough game but any cup game is winnable and who knows what will happen on the night – we have it about us to do the job.
“We will be very respectful to them but equally, we proved last season that the Weston Homes Community Stadium is a tough place to come to.
“I guess the only possible negative for us is that we have such a great playing surface here and it’s a great venue to play at but it’s a great game for us.”
Colchester are unbeaten in their last ten live games on Sky Sports and it is the first time one of their games will be shown live since their FA Cup defeat at the hands of Spurs in January, 2016, which was screened on BT Sport.
The U’s clash with Villa will be the first of back-to-back home games for them in the opening week of the season, following yesterday’s EFL fixture release.
John McGreal’s side will begin with a trip to play Accrington Stanley, on the opening day.
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