AFC Wimbledon’s decision to keep ticket prices for their FA Cup tie against Liverpool low was a smart decision, but not for the obvious reasons.

Much of the chatter surrounding the club’s decision to keep ticket prices as low as £4 for U18s has focused on the principles surrounding the move.

It has been cast as the club taking a stand against skyrocketing ticket prices on behalf of beleaguered fans.

And while this may be true, it’s important to consider some of the practical aspects.

With Kingsmeadow’s current capacity, the gate receipts (after VAT) for the tie at posted prices will be around £60k. That money will need to be shared with Liverpool and the FA.

Even if the club doubled the ticket prices, they would only bring receipts up to the £100k-120k range.

In objective terms, that’s not much.

Especially compared to the loss of goodwill among long-time Wimbledon supporters for “cashing in” at their expense.

Meanwhile, the club will net about £140k from the BBC, since they selected the game to be one of the five they show that weekend.

We may never know for sure, but it’s not difficult to imagine the good publicity garnered from the decision on lower prices having factored into the decision to air the game.

Narrative is the glue that holds football and television together.

The low prices combined with limited availability and a high-profile opponent will also highlight the need for Wimbledon to move to a larger stadium.

With the final proposal being sent to Merton Council this month, the timing could not have been better.

Did the club leave money on the table by keeping prices low? Maybe. But the long term gains may well outweigh the short term loss.