Its no secret that some footballers not only get paid to play football.
But they get paid so much, that they are able to live a fairly comfortable life.
That is of course if they are smart with their money, as I addressed in this post.
However while almost all the footballers you see on TV are getting paid.
Not every player is getting rewarded financially for playing the game they love.
So while 265 million people, including myself, take to the field to kick a ball and play the sport, not everyone gets paid.
This I can imagine, makes you ask the question of what level are footballers actually getting paid.
Perhaps you are interested because you want to get to a level where you are getting money from football.
Or simply your just curious as to when the cash starts to flow in for pros within the sport.
In this post, I will cover all of this.
Table of Contents
Do Professional Footballers Get Paid?
The highest level in the game is professional football and because this level consists of the best players it, therefore, makes sense to say that players get paid at this level.
Not only do players at this level receive contracts that enable them to live directly in the sport while playing full time, but they also make a considerable amount of money, which beats most common jobs in the workplace.
So its safe to say, that being a footballer at a professional level, which takes work to reach the position is a fortunate place to be in.
As you are able to play for topsides while getting paid well for it at the same time.
Do Semi-Pro Footballers Get Paid?
The step down from professional football is semi-pro, and at this level, there is a contrasting difference between wages and the amount players get paid.
That is because at a non-league and Semi-Pro level, footballers still get paid for playing.
However it is far less lucrative compared to being professional and playing in one of the top four leagues.
Now the gap between making a comfortable living and making a somewhat average annual income that can be compared to other jobs is somewhere in the National League.
That is because in the National League there are top clubs in this league that pay as much as £2000-£3000 a week to players.
While other less developed clubs in the league will only pay a couple of hundred pounds a week to their players.
I guess a big thing that it all boils down to at this level, is how valuable a player you are and the financial state of the club.
As its also possible to have players who are full-time at a club, while others are part-time and therefore seeking income elsewhere.
Since Semi-Pro still consists of above-average footballers, it does make sense the amount they get paid.
However if you go down the period, but still remain in that Semi-Pro bracket, then its possible that instead of wages being given out that players are handed appearance and goal bonuses, instead of contracts that guarantee pay.
Do Ameteur Footballers Get Paid?
Unfortunately, if you play football at the same level as me, that being amateur then its more than likely that the transaction is the other way round.
You will be paying to play for a nearby football club, instead of getting paid a weekly paycheck that you would wish to receive.
In the UK, and is likely done elsewhere is, there is something called ‘subs’ where players will have to contribute towards a club by paying a match and training fee.
Unlike professional or semi-football clubs, clubs at this level do not have many streams of income.
They likely don’t have many fans that aren’t relatives or friends to the players and also don’t sell merch or are on TV.
As a result, its up to the club to find a way to make money to keep running, and to do that they will charge their players a registration fee on sign-up or subs throughout the season.
What League Do Footballers Get Paid?
If a league is at a professional or semi-pro level, it means that players are likely getting paid in some form or another.
While as we discussed, the high-profile professional clubs with the best players will pay big wages to their players.
A semi-pro footballer will at least be getting an amount of money for appearing in a game, even if its not a fixed wage.
So because of this any league worldwide that is Professional or Semi-Pro is paying its players to play football.
If that is a goal of yours to get into to a position where you can benefit financially from your skills on the pitch, then that is the level that you must reach.
Now if you’re looking to make a lot of money through playing football, which I must say shouldn’t be the driving force in pursuing the profession.
Then the aim is to get into a league where the most eyes are.
A country’s top league will have the best players taking part in it, which in turn means they will be the highest-paid.
What Age Do Footballers Start Getting Paid?
Football clubs will start paying footballers from the time they turn 16.
It is when they turn this age, that clubs start offering contracts to their youth players, to keep them on as an asset of the club.
This means that the player will start earning money, and depending on good he is and how highly rated he is, this can be quite a lot for a teenager.
Now interestingly, its not just a case of a footballer getting their first few pounds when they put pen to paper.
Because of how times are now, players will have a social media presence as they start to make a name at a club, giving them an additional way to make money.
Along with this and especially if the player is highly gifted and talked about, boot brands may approach them to sponsor them.
Similar to what happened to bright Arsenal prospect Bukayo Saka who very quickly got a deal with New Balance despite still being a teenager.
So essentially if a player is doing well at a professional football club, then a contract will be lined up for them once they turn 16.
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