How much do National League Players Get Paid?

Rebranded from the ‘Conference’ to the ‘National League’, the fifth tier of English football is the lowest nationwide division. Attention on the National League has soared in recent years, however, due to high-profile investment and several big clubs dropping down.

Money being spent in the National League has never been under greater scrutiny. How much are players and managers getting paid?

What is the average National League salary?

There isn’t a huge amount of data available when it comes to National League salaries. Most reporting puts the average between £1,000 and £1,500 per week, which works out between £52,000 and £78,000 per year.

These numbers are comfortably above the average UK salary, but it’s a long way from the riches and glamour of the Premier League and Championship. With short careers, National League players need to secure income after their playing days.

Highest-Paid National League players

In 2022-23, Ben Tozer and Paul Mullin were the joint-highest earners in the National League with weekly wages of £4,000. Hollywood-backed Wrexham had the highest wage bill in the division.

Tozer and Mullin earned considerably more than the majority of League Two players at the time. Their salaries compared favourably even to their League One counterparts.

It was also reported that Wrexham’s Aaron Hayden and James Jones were on £3,000 per week, which is over £150,000 per year. Of course, plenty of National League players are on less than £1,000 per week, too.

National League manager salary

Just like the players they oversee, salaries for National League managers are not publicly available. We can use League Two manager salaries as a reference point, though, with an average of £80,000 per year.

There’s bound to be a massive range of manager salaries in the National League depending on the clubs involved in a given season. We expect some will earn more than their League Two counterparts, while others will be on well below the average UK salary.

National League salaries compared to Football League

Reporting indicates the National League average salary is £1,500 at the higher end. This is £1,000 less than the average in League Two, with considerably higher figures in League One and the Championship.

If the average National League annual salary is between £52,000 and £78,000, that leaves the majority of Premier League players earning more in a week than a National League player does across a full season.

Is the National League professional?

In 2023-24, 21 of 24 National League clubs are professional. For much of the competition’s history, it was considered a semi-professional league, but there has been an increase in professionalisation in the 21st century.

TNT Sports’ commitment to broadcasting National League matches has helped inject cash, while there has also been greater external investment. Facilities have improved considerably, too.

It’s not a stretch to call the National League a professional competition.

National League sponsors

Throughout its history, the National League has been sponsored by various different companies.

Gola were the title sponsor in the early years before handing over to Vauxhall Motors. Nationwide and Blue Square had lengthy stints before a year with Skrill. Vanarama have been the competition’s lead sponsor since 2014.