Retained list

[Gulliball]

That £375 a week also included loanees in the first team and our own higher earners on the bench, making it a highly misleading figure (excuse).

[NA Gull]

Top earners are on about £45kpa.
The younger players will be offered low initial deals with increases when they hit so many games per season to reflect an increased importance/development.

[cambgull]

If you think Bowman and Briscoe would move down here for that, you're living in a dream world. Think 60 to 80k a year and you will be closer.

Our total weekly wage will be somewhere in the region of £10-13k per week, I really don't think we'll be spending £1.5k of that on one player.

[Gloomy Gull]

Obviously you think 900 a week would be over the top for Ives.
Well how do you feel about the 150 per week allegedly offered to Lavercombe, which I don't believe,he has signed yet!

I had heard from someone who said he had spoken with Lavercombe's dad and been told that Dan was on £80 (because he was on a youth contract or similar) with a £50 win bonus. If that is correct the £150 figure may not be so ridiculous...it is an 87% wage increase after all !!

I think he is worth more than £150 even as a youth.

[eastmoorgull]

Just to put it into context a friend of mine has two lads at Norwich, same age as Lavercombe - one earns 1k a week the other 5 k!

[Lord_Torquay]

I'm really surprised at how little all of them get paid then. No wonder they were all selling herbalife! It's almost embarrassing to offer Lavercombe that, if that figure is correct.

[happytorq]

How old is Lavercombe? 18?

£150 a week is probably what a (presumably) unqualified lad of that age could earn elsewhere, especially in Torquay. I mean, it sounds like a pittance (and it is!) but when I was 18 and at college I was only earning about £100 a week when I came back for the summer. In the context of football it sounds terrible - especially when compared to other clubs as mentioned - but I think if we were to go around offering the young lads £500 a week and then went out of business, that'd be worse.

I find it somewhat depressing that the top earner at our football club is probably on less money than me. (depressing for him. For me it's ok)

[Mav]

£150 is below the national minimum wage. It equates to less than £7500 a year. That said I think you will find that the offer from Torquay to first year pros is actually a figure less than the £150 per week

[happytorq]

If it's below minimum wage how are they allowed to offer it?

[Mav]

They class the hours that the players work as being time at training ground. So technically they claim that the hourly rate is higher, and that they just work less hours. Truth of the matter is, anyone earning £7500 for a full time profession is not being looked after or being well payed. Dosen't matter how you dress it up

[Dave]

I fully agree that the average figure released £375 for the team was misleading, a manager could say my midfield pairing are on an average of £350, one could be earning £600 the other £100, and that's the point, we're thinking that Ives/Lavercombe should be getting in the region of £400, I will suggest that Bowman, Briscoe and Young would be earning more than that, other first team regulars from last season would have been getting less than that.

We can't look at the potential new owners as magicians, the club loses it's parachute payment next season, and is still racking up the losses, so whilst Thea is passing the club on debt free, it isn't going to stay that way for long, unless the club can significantly increase it's income, or restructure, the potential new owners are unlikely going to want, to sustain the current losses

We've got to look at who these players really are, Ives/Lavercombe first year professionals at a conference premier club, neither have career track record, 25 senior games between them, it would be fantastic if the club could offer them £400, our senior pros would be on £1000 and we'd rinse the league, it's unrealistic for the club to offer that money to first year 17 year old pros, it would financial suicide, and leave CH unable to compete for top end conference players.

We've already lost Barnet from this division, another big spender will join them from the play-offs and are being replaced by Tranmere believed to have financial difficulties of their own and Cheltenham no better off then us, can't see any bankrolled big spenders coming up into the division from below either, so chance for to kick on is going to be their, and as said to make it work CH is going have to pad the squad out with some talented youngsters on relatively low money.

[PhilGull]

How are you determining that it's below minimum wage? The current rate for an 18 year old is £5.13 per hour, which would make £150/week just under 30 hours. For apprentices aged between 16 and 18 it's only £2.73 per hour.

How many hours a week does a professional footballer actually work? I would be surprised if it was any more than 30 hours. Three or four hours on a Saturday afternoon and some Tuesday evenings and a few hours training 3 or 4 days a week.

And besides all that I'm not even sure a professional sportsman on a fixed term contract is even covered by minimum wage regulations.

[Dave]

Regards the minimum wage, it depends how the footballer is contracted to the club, are they employed or self employed ?

[MidDevon]

hhh

[happytorq]

hhh

big news, if true.