Div 3 Footballer's salary

[dunnyouhavebeen]

With regard to the fringe player, you would expect him to play a handfull of 1st team matches and the majority of reserve matches.

[Terrier Ramone]

Feb 24, 2009 14:25:26 GMT 1 andyeastleake said:

On another thread it was suggested that Town's highest earners are on £6,000 / £7,000 per week (with another poster going as high as £8,000).

Is this really correct?

The last average earnings statistic I can find gives UK average earnings as £433 per week.

As much as I love football, I find it impossible to even begin to justify a third division footballer earning 15 times the average person.

....and if the rumours that football is still the sport of the working man I'd suggest the earnings of the average supporter will probably be lower than the country as a whole.

I know that that very nice man Mr Stan Ternent (not at all arrogant in any way) described a £70,000 salary as "F*** All" in his book but I hadn't realised even our players would be so far off the scale.

*Apologies for starting a new thread but I didn't want this to appear simply a dig at Smithies.

I take it I'm the poster you had in mind suggesting Town's top earner is on 8K a week? If you read what I wrote properly you will see that that is not what I said: I was comparing Smithies now to the situation Nathan Clarke was in a few years ago - a very promising footballer who would possibly be premiership-bound, but that I would exert caution as Clarke has not fulfilled his promise & how many Town fans would be happy IF he was on 8K a week and on a long contract?

Is a 3rd division footballer worth 8K a week (and I am certainly not saying anyone at Town is on that money ) - the answer to that is someone is worth whatever someone is willing to pay them, therefore if they are offered 8K a week, they are worth 8K a week - I don't agree with it though

[digwon]

if it isnt an important job with pressure,why are we all on here twittering about it,

[Dell12]

The point it that players in divison 3 are probably amoung the top 1000 or so in the country? If I was a banker/ doctor and was at the top of my profession I reckon I could be earning similar wages! Obviously there is a massive disparity at the top, but Leagues 1/2 the wages are what the market will pay.

[digwon]

but the difference being when 3rd division players retire in there 30`s they have to get a normal job in a lot of cases,where as premiership players could play for 6 month then retire if they wanted

[gregpot2000]

well a few weeks ago i was out on a friday night at the black bull in lindley and lee clarke was there having a drink, and this was pretty late with a game the next day!

[timrankhan]

Feb 24, 2009 14:39:21 GMT 1 benhomly said:

Feb 24, 2009 14:30:01 GMT 1 @therealyogibear said:

Think you pay those sort of wages for exceptional players in this league. Hopefully Smithies will be exceptional. I think the only reason we would pay that amount is cause we know we would lose him for free.

I reckon our average would be nearer £2000-£3,000

Personally speaking I agree with Stan. Its a high responsibility job with constant spotlight on you.

High responsibility job? Where's your smiley thing!! It's just a bloody game at the end of the day - they don't produce anything of importance, they don't save lives etc etc. In fact most of the time they just piss people off

It is a game yes, but I wouldnt hang around on £433 a week to put up with the level of abuse that they have to. To be fair as sportsmen they are entertainers and no one begrudges actors high salaries!

[martin]

Over the last 25 years or so, the balance of power in football has shifted to the players who are perceived to be winners.

As football's income from television soared, so did the wages paid by the top teams chasing success. But only to the 'stars'. The average wage in the Premiership is about £600,000, ie £12,000 per week. But for young players breaking into the first team it's only about £25,000pa, or £500 per week!

Players in the Championship get an average of about £190,000, League 1 about £67,000, League 2 about £26,000.

All because clubs (and fans) are desperate for success and want to receive revenues (including TV deals) from a higher division.


Imagine Town in the Championship with say 20 players on an average of £200,000. That's (players') wages of about £10 million, or (divided by Galpharm capacity of say 25K for ease of calculation) £400 average from season ticket holders!

We are so grateful to Dean Hoyle (and Ken Davy) for their financial support!