While perhaps not as entrenched or idolized as in North American sports, Premier League mascots are still a key part of the matchday experience – particularly for younger fans.
Before kick-off, they’ll be outside the stadium meeting fans and posing for photos, and during the game, they’ll pop up in the stands and sometimes even behind the goal to celebrate.
So, what is the Premier League mascot salary, and what was the news about paying to be a mascot for a Premier League club?
How Much Does the Average Premier League Mascot Make?
Based on public information relayed by national newspapers in the UK, the average Premier League mascot makes a salary of around £44,156.25 (C$76,094.35) per annum.
This average Premier League mascot salary isn’t drawn from a complete pool of mascot salaries and represents the mean average of those made available.
As most of the top teams’ mascots have high-end salaries and not all of the smaller clubs have had their mascot salaries revealed, the average of £44,156.25 (C$76,094.35) will likely be skewed a bit too high.
According to Indeed UK, the average mascot salary in England across all lines of work is around £26,379 (C$45,458.85) per year. Given the profile of the Premier League, it makes sense that the average mascot there makes much more.
All teams across the Premier League have mascots. The most recognisable are those who perform for the top clubs historically, including Arsenal’s Gunnersaurus Rex and Manchester United’s Fred the Red.
Three on the highest Premier League mascot salary will be going all-out to spur their teams on down the stretch as three remain in contention for the crown.
Manchester City are the mild favourites at +110 with Moonchester in the stands, while Liverpool and Mighty Red are in the hunt at +230 in the soccer odds, followed by the Gunnersaurus’ league-leading Arsenal at +250.
Who Are the Highest-Paid Premier League Mascots?
According to the report by dubious tabloid Daily Star, the highest-paid Premier League mascots are Fred the Red (Manchester United), Moonchester (Manchester City), Mighty Red (Liverpool), Stamford Lion (Chelsea), and Gunnersaurus Rex (Arsenal).
Each of these Premier League mascots earns £70,000 (C$120,630.79) per year, according to the report, which is in excess of twice the national average salary for the mascot profession.
Back in 2020, amidst the pandemic and clubs vying to remain as profitable as possible, Arsenal caused outrage when they opted to let go of Jerry Quy, the man within the dinosaur mascot costume.
Midfielder Mesut Özil stepped in to offer to pay the mascot’s wages, which helped to convince the club to reinstate the mascot very soon after Quy’s dismissal.
Given how popular Arsenal have been this year in the live betting, millions of people around the world must be enjoying tuning into the action and seeing the Gunnersaurus popping up around the ground.
Does it Cost to Be a Mascot in the Premier League?
Being a Premier League mascot can take a couple of different forms. There are the big character mascots employed by the club, but there are also the people who walk out of the tunnel with the players.
These mascots are often young fans who get picked from a pool of applicants and get some extras for coming along, like free tickets for the family, a behind-the-scenes tour, a signed shit, and the like.
In 2019, however, it came to light that some clubs were charging fans for the privilege of being a mascot for the day, with the most egregious cited as being West Ham United, who were charging £700 (C$1,207.07) to be a mascot.
Many teams don’t charge for this part of the fan experience, though, with that collection of clubs including Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, both Manchester clubs, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, and Tottenham Hotspur.
At the very top end, the Premier League mascot salary sits at around £70,000 (C$120,630.79) per year, which is rather good for the 30-odd home games the top teams play.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to Alamy*
