WHAT DO THE NAMES JOHNNY HAYNES, JIMMY HILL AND GEORGE EASTHAM HAVE IN COMMON AND HOW DO THE EFFECT TODAY’S FOOTBALL(ERS)?
Let’s start with Johnny Haynes, a man who supported The Arsenal, was wanted by the Spuds and signed for Fulham, playing there for 20 years.
He earned 56 England caps and was captain for 22 of those.
He has a statue erected in his honour outside Craven Cottage and up until 1961, he was earning £10 a week and ultimately became the first £100 a week player.
How did this happen?
Well, Jimmy Hill campaigned for the abolishment of the maximum wage for footballers and on the 18/1/61 succeeded in doing just that.
Did that mean it was plain sailing for the professional footballer then?
Enter George Eastham and his dispute with Newcastle United, after he asked for a transfer, amid interest from The Arsenal.
At that time, the clubs could refuse a player a transfer request, but even more unbelievable was the fact that they could then, by law, hold on to his registration, thereby stopping him from moving on.
George went on strike for 6 months and took Newcastle to court.
He won his case and moved to The Arsenal.
In 1961 the average working wage was £10, thus was Johnny Haynes’s wage before Jimmy Hill’s intervention.
In 1970 the average working was £28, while the average wage for a top player was around.
the £14,000 mark.
In 1980 the average working wage was £6,000, while the average wage for a top player was around the £25,000 mark.
In 1990 the average working wage was £12,353, while the average wage for a top player was around. the £77,000 mark.
In 2000 the average working wage was £18,000 while the average wage for a top player was around the £87,000 mark.
In 2010 the average working wage was £26,000 while the average wage for a top player was around the £1.17 million mark.
In 2020 the average working wage was £39,000 while the average wage for a top player was around the £3.5 million mark.
It is reported that the lowest paid player in the PL is a Nottingham Forest youngster on £3,462 a week (180,024 a year) while Kevin De Bruyne is reportedly on £384,615 a week (just under £20 million a year).
Where has the money come from, after the three men above opened the floodgates?
Television rights in the UK are as follows:…
1993/97 = £214 million
98/2001 = £743 million
02/2004 = £1.38 billion
05/2007 = £1.13 billion
08/2010 = £1.88 billion
11/2013 = £1.95 billion
14/2016 = £3.2 billion
17/2019 = £5.34 billion
19/2022 = £5.0 billion
23/2028 = £6.7 billion over four years.
So, it seems that the money being spent within football will continue to rise, especially the transfer fees and players’ salaries.
Please let’s not hear any more the views that top players have a short career, as the young Forest player quoted above will earn £1,800,000 over a ten-year period IF his salary isn’t increased by a single penny. While the average working person will earn, at today’s rate, £400,000 in the same period.
I wonder if Johnny Haynes, Jimmy Hill and George Eastham ever thought we would be in this unbelievable situation within English football?
Ken1945
Please note that all the £ figures are reported from sites such as The Guardian,
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