Highest paid Super League players

[Coastal_Geordie]

It seems the NRL is more transparent with player wages, much like the NFL is. From here https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/nrl-rich-list-four-england-27221012.amp from last season -

Whitehead £340k per year 

Bateman £360k per year

T Burgess £392k per year

L Thompson £418k per year (before his contract ended)

I’ve seen reports that Brodie Croft is now on around £350k at Leeds which must make him among the most expensive SL players?

I’d assume Williams at Warrington is on similar money to that too coming back from NRL and recently signing another new contract?

I’d also assume Thompson along with French and Field are on big money at Wigan using the 3 marquee spots?

I don’t have a clue about St Helens and whether they put their home grown stars on good contracts.

Looking around now the likes of Tomkins, Widdop have retired who were previously said to be on bigger contracts coming back from the NRL, I’m not sure who else might be on bigger money.

You can see why more England players want to give the NRL a go if there is such a gap in pay.  

Edited November 10, 2023 by Coastal_Geordie

[Dunbar]

Don't think there is anything in these numbers that we didn't already know... from a general perspective if not detail.

I would add two comments from my perspective. 

1. While I enjoy seeing Brits do well in the NRL, similarly, I also hope that the best young players in Super League are rewarded with top contracts based on the marquee player rule to keep them here if they want to be in Super League.  I hope clubs don't just use the marquee player option for former NRL players.

2. I hope that the players earning decent money are sensible with their money as earning a good salary at a younger age can be a route to financial success if you manage it wisely.  The biggest mistake is to spend like it will always be coming in which is why we see some sports people earning many times these amounts go bankrupt later in life.

[moorside roughyed]

Out of curiosity I wonder what the lowest salaries are amongst Superleague players.

[northamptoncougar]

Wouldn’t be surprised if they’re 20k a year

[Click]

10 minutes ago, northamptoncougar said:

Wouldn’t be surprised if they’re 20k a year

Not sure if it was ever raised again from the 15k they lowered it to during covid

[Dave T]

2 hours ago, moorside roughyed said:

Out of curiosity I wonder what the lowest salaries are amongst Superleague players.

Do you think this is a common discussion on FA Premier League forums? 

[Click]

Just now, Dave T said:

Do you think this is a common discussion on FA Premier League forums? 

To be fair - I wouldn't be surprised if they did every now and then. They are more obsessed with how much their players are making in general, so will most likely be interested in the lowest paid players as well. 

I seem to remember a Youtube short video discussing the lowest paid players in the PL a few seasons ago, and it was a Brighton player that was making just over minimum wage p/a.

[sam4731]

17 minutes ago, Click said:

To be fair - I wouldn't be surprised if they did every now and then. They are more obsessed with how much their players are making in general, so will most likely be interested in the lowest paid players as well. 

I seem to remember a Youtube short video discussing the lowest paid players in the PL a few seasons ago, and it was a Brighton player that was making just over minimum wage p/a.

Not questioning your information as it may be true but its hard to see how a PL player could be earning just over minimum wage when there are 4 divisions below that are all full time. Paying a PL player just over minimum wage would suggest that it could be more lucrative to be the best paid player for a League 2 club.

[overtheborder]

15 minutes ago, Click said:

To be fair - I wouldn't be surprised if they did every now and then. They are more obsessed with how much their players are making in general, so will most likely be interested in the lowest paid players as well. 

I seem to remember a Youtube short video discussing the lowest paid players in the PL a few seasons ago, and it was a Brighton player that was making just over minimum wage p/a.

Interesting - although I can imagine being a professional sport player in general involves starting off on next to nothing in the hope your salary can increase a huge amount should you "break through". The average SL salary is quoted here at £74k - you could ask all sorts of questions as to what's included/excluded from that calculation in terms of marquee players etc. but gives a ballpark figure.

https://www.totalrl.com/the-average-super-league-salary-revealed-by-warrington-wolves-chief-executive-as-he-explains-record-breaking-deals-and-his-rise-to-prominence/#:~:text=“It is really challenging%2C we,once you've finished playing.

[glossop saint]

8 hours ago, Dave T said:

Do you think this is a common discussion on FA Premier League forums? 

I suspect that you probably find very few PL fans who are concerned about players not getting at least a fair wage. I think this is a valid problem within our sport. Players putting themselves on the line for our entertainment and not getting paid enough for it which is something that for me needs to change. Having said that given the financial situation that the sport finds itself in at the moment then I'm not sure that now is the time to do it. It should have been done 2 TV deals ago.

[gingerjon]

8 hours ago, Dave T said:

Do you think this is a common discussion on FA Premier League forums? 

You don't think how many X thousands a player is on a week is a regular topic point in Premier League online discussions?

[moorside roughyed]

8 hours ago, Dave T said:

Do you think this is a common discussion on FA Premier League forums? 

Haven't got a clue mate. The only thing I know about football is that they use the wrong shape ball. Wouldn't surprise me though,it was just a little curiosity. People always talk about the big money,I just wondered about the other side of the coin with regards to a Superleague players salary.

[Click]

8 hours ago, sam4731 said:

Not questioning your information as it may be true but its hard to see how a PL player could be earning just over minimum wage when there are 4 divisions below that are all full time. Paying a PL player just over minimum wage would suggest that it could be more lucrative to be the best paid player for a League 2 club.

The thing you're forgetting is that even PL clubs have youth players that can be on very low wages. A 17/8 yr old isn't going to make huge amounts unless they are at one of biggest clubs.

[gingerjon]

9 hours ago, Click said:

To be fair - I wouldn't be surprised if they did every now and then. They are more obsessed with how much their players are making in general, so will most likely be interested in the lowest paid players as well. 

I seem to remember a Youtube short video discussing the lowest paid players in the PL a few seasons ago, and it was a Brighton player that was making just over minimum wage p/a.

https://www.sportbible.com/football/premier-league/fpl-points-548886-20231107

[sam4731]

1 hour ago, Click said:

The thing you're forgetting is that even PL clubs have youth players that can be on very low wages. A 17/8 yr old isn't going to make huge amounts unless they are at one of biggest clubs.

But surely a 17/18 year old playing for United is going to get a similar payday as one of Salfords best players. I know there is an element of prestige and wanting to further your career but the teenage realists out there would surely see a lower league team as a safer bet.

[HawkMan]

12 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

But surely a 17/18 year old playing for United is going to get a similar payday as one of Salfords best players. I know there is an element of prestige and wanting to further your career but the teenage realists out there would surely see a lower league team as a safer bet.

If you're a teenager with enough talent that United want you, you'll rather stay and be coached by their talented coaching team, ahem..allegedly talented,  and maybe go out on loan a few times,  and if by early 20's you can't break into the first team then you go. Bit like Hudson-Odoi at Chelsea.

BTW, Football forums do talk about wages  salary caps and the like, I know I'm on some of them.

Edited November 12, 2023 by HawkMan

[Padge]

The bizarre thing in soccer is that the difference in quality between a top team and a lower league team is not that great, lower league teams often give top teams a game and a turnover is not unexpected. If thi difference in wages reflected the difference in ability this would not be true.

[HawkMan]

2 minutes ago, Padge said:

The bizarre thing in soccer is that the difference in quality between a top team and a lower league team is not that great, lower league teams often give top teams a game and a turnover is not unexpected. If thi difference in wages reflected the difference in ability this would not be true.

It's not bizarre at all,it just reflects the tv deals top leagues get in relation to lower ones. 1 billion a year for EPL and 900 million for 3 years for three divisions of EFL, wages reflect that. I don't buy this greedy players notion. If RL had hundreds of millions pumped into it the players would get a good wedge, as the NRL players do presumably.

[glemiln]

I recall playing in an early 60’s football Final in the Manchester Publicity League.   One of our players officially ‘invited’ a mate to play for us, who turned out to be from Man City’s third team.  Even competing in rain and a worse than normal boggy Platt Fields pitch (over which he glided), our opponents, Daily Express could not stop him, fairly or otherwise!    He assisted our victory by scoring 5 goals.  As far as I know, he was never paid - we all got our medals but I believe not future football accolades.  

[GeordieSaint]

I would suspect George Williams and Luke Thompson are the highest paid players in SL. 

[Harry Stottle]

On 10/11/2023 at 19:48, Coastal_Geordie said:

It seems the NRL is more transparent with player wages, much like the NFL is. From here https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/nrl-rich-list-four-england-27221012.amp from last season -

Whitehead £340k per year 

Bateman £360k per year

T Burgess £392k per year

L Thompson £418k per year (before his contract ended)

I’ve seen reports that Brodie Croft is now on around £350k at Leeds which must make him among the most expensive SL players?

I’d assume Williams at Warrington is on similar money to that too coming back from NRL and recently signing another new contract?

I’d also assume Thompson along with French and Field are on big money at Wigan using the 3 marquee spots?

I don’t have a clue about St Helens and whether they put their home grown stars on good contracts.

Looking around now the likes of Tomkins, Widdop have retired who were previously said to be on bigger contracts coming back from the NRL, I’m not sure who else might be on bigger money.

You can see why more England players want to give the NRL a go if there is such a gap in pay.  

I know - and confidentiality - prevents me from revealing my source, that Gareth Widdops contract at Warrington was worth circa £10,000 a week or £500K a year.

[Harry Stottle]

Why are you laughing at my info re Gareth Widdop @bobbruce, I will swear it on the life of my family that it is true information from a very reliable source. 

[bobbruce]

9 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Why are you laughing at my info re Gareth Widdop @bobbruce, I will swear it on the life of my family that it is true information from a very reliable source. 

Whether it’s true or not it’s pretty pointless unless you are prepared to say where it’s coming from. On top of that it’s hilarious if Wire were paying him that much. 

[Dave T]

On 12/11/2023 at 07:18, gingerjon said:

You don't think how many X thousands a player is on a week is a regular topic point in Premier League online discussions?

I'm pretty sure they don't constantly look for the lowest paid just to turn the Co versation into a negative about how ###### everything is 

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

I'm pretty sure they don't constantly look for the lowest paid just to turn the Co versation into a negative about how ###### everything is 

Well everything isn't ###### in their sport is it though Dave.

This is an odd hill to die on