How Much Do Championship Football Players Get Paid?

Average Championship Salary On The Rise

Reporting of the average Championship salary varies significantly across different sources.

Whatever figure you estimate, though, it is clear the average Championship salary has exploded over the last decade or so.

As recently as 2006, the average weekly wage was just £3,000. In 2023-24, some have reported that number is into the mid-thirty-thousand range. 

Sports Quotes and Facts claims the Championship average was only £7,000 in 2021-22.

As is the case in every season, there is considerable variation from club to club, with six teams averaging north of £10,000 per player each week. Fulham came in at over £22,000. 

Increasing Championship salaries are inevitable with more money coming into football each year, but some clubs are stretching themselves far too thin. The league is increasing its revenue, but not all clubs are doing so at a rate to keep pace with the booming wages.

We have seen some clubs encounter financial strife after pushing their payrolls too high in the pursuit of Premier League riches.

Championship Salaries vs Premier League Wages 

Premier League wages remain miles clear of Championship salaries.

Over 50 Premier League players are on £150,000 or more per week. The highest-earning Premier League players earn more in a month than the vast majority of Championship players do in a year. 

The average Premier League wage is around the £60,000 mark. 

According to Capology, 18 Championship players are earning £60,000 or more in 2023-24. Leicester and Southampton are responsible for the majority of this group, which includes big names like Jamie Vardy and Patrick Bamford.

Still A BIG Gulf In Championship Wages

The Championship has been marketed as the ‘most competitive league in the world’. It is unpredictable, but it is not competitive in a financial sense. 

According to figures from Sports Quotes and Facts, the lowest payroll team in 2021-22 paid out just £51,154 in weekly wages. The highest figure was £671,746, belonging to eventual champions Fulham.
There is a chasm between the haves and have-nots in the second tier.

Higher wage bills might not equate to success quite like the Premier League, but there is a clear financial advantage for the bigger clubs, and particularly those with recent experience of the topflight.

It’s no coincidence that relegated teams are often in the mix for promotion in their first season back in the Championship. 

In 2023-24, Leicester, Leeds and Southampton will have massively bigger wage bills than many of their peers.

Parachute Payments Make Championship Unbalanced

Parachute payments were introduced in 2006-07 to soften the financial hit of being relegated from the Premier League.

Initially, they were spread across four seasons, but a decade after being brought in, the payments were moved to just three campaigns.

Teams who spend a single season in the Premier League have only two years of parachute payments.

While this influx of cash is important for relegated teams’ accounts, it also hampers competitiveness in the Championship.

Tens of millions come in for multiple years after relegation, allowing clubs to maintain Premier League-level payrolls. This has contributed to a lot of teams bouncing back at the first or second time of asking. 

Some teams are able to overcome such a financial disadvantage, but these payments have opened up a greater gap across the division. 

The group of ‘yo-yo teams’ not only receive an immense monetary boost while in the Premier League.

They benefit for several seasons afterwards, which has made it increasingly difficult for long-term Championship clubs to earn promotion.

If teams miss that initial window to bounce back to the Premier League, they can find themselves stuck in the second tier.

Should Championship Players Earn So Much?

Championship players might not be as famous as Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah or Harry Kane, but they are still among the best in the world at what they do.

The Championship often places in the top 15 leagues in world football.

The players who star in Championship predictions would be standout performers in many top-flight divisions around Europe.

Championship football is awash with ascending young talents, seasoned internationals and proven veterans.

1) What Is The Average Championship Salary?

Figures for the average Championship salary vary considerably, from around £10,000 up to the £30,000 mark. Financial figures for Championship clubs are rarely made public. 

League One and League Two players earn considerably less per week. Only 15 players in League One earn more than the Championship average.

2) Who Is The Highest-Paid Championship Player?

Former England international and Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy is reportedly the highest-paid current Championship player with a weekly wage of £140,000. 

Vardy has been with Leicester since 2012, starring in their incredible run to the Premier League title and scoring 136 Premier League goals.

3) How Much Does The Average Premier League Player Earn?

The average Premier League salary in 2023-24 is around the £60,000 mark. There is a massive range of Premier League salaries, however, with 59 players earning over £150,000 per week. 

The average Premier League earnings continue to rise. Several players have signed deals worth north of £300,000 per week in the last few seasons.

4) Who Are The Highest Paid Footballers In The World?

Neymar is reportedly the highest-paid player in world football ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. The massive spending in Saudi Arabia has seen the game’s biggest stars land even larger salaries. 

PSG striker Kylian Mbappe is the highest-paid footballer outside of the Saudi Pro League. 

5) Who Are The Top Paid Football Managers?

Diego Simeone is the highest-paid football manager in the world according to L’Equipe.

Premier League bosses Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp place second and third respectively, albeit far behind Simeone, who reportedly earns £3 million per month.