The salary of Sheffield United’s highest paid player compared to the average salary EFL referees get.
Refereeing decisions can have such a monumental bearing on a match, a team’s league position or even, in some exceptional cases, a player’s career, yet the difference in salaries between those on the pitch and those with the whistle is unsurprisingly stark.
Sheffield United are just one side who will be hoping for some fortunate decisions to fall their way in the coming weeks as they bid for promotion to the Championship under Chris Wilder, who, ironically, has been anything but shy about calling out officials throughout his career in the dugout.
Discourse surrounding player salaries is common indeed. However, there is often less chatter when it comes to how much money referees can earn in the game. But how much does an EFL referee earn on average? And how does that compare to the wage of Sheffield United’s highest-paid player?
Enda Stevens x Chris Wilder – Sheffield United
How much an EFL referee earns on average
According to salary sport, the basic annual salary for an EFL referee ranges from £38,500 to £42,000. The site says, as you would naturally expect, that the more lucrative compensation for EFL referees compared to those officiating in the non-league game reflects the “increased responsibility and scrutiny”.
Sheffield United’s Anel Ahmedhodzic is shown a yellow card by referee Andrew Kitchen
Referees are, of course, subject to intense pressure and scrutiny at all levels, all the way down to grassroots, be it from supporters, players, coaching staff or commentators, but it’s only amplified in the EFL and, in particular, in the Championship and the Premier League, where decisions will often have meaningful financial implications.
It’s also said that referees receive match fees of around £600 to £1,000 per game, which is dependent on the league itself and the importance of that fixture. For example, a referee would, unsurprisingly, earn more officiating this season’s Championship play-off final than they would by being in the middle for a fixture between two mid-table sides in League Two.
How Rhian Brewster’s estimated Sheffield United wage compares to an average EFL referee salary
According to Capology, a site that provides estimated figures on player salaries, Rhian Brewster is the highest earner at Sheffield United on a weekly contract worth £35,000.
Rhian Brewster’s estimated Sheffield United contract, as per Capology
Date signed
Weekly salary
Annual salary
Club ranking for earnings
2nd October 2020
£35,000
£1,820,000
1st
Brewster is estimated to be earning the same amount as Hamza Choudhury and Ben Brereton Diaz, who both signed on loan in January from Leicester City and Southampton respectively, but it’s unclear whether the Blades are paying the entirety of their salaries or not.
As one would have perhaps anticipated, the average salary for an EFL referee pales in comparison to what Brewster reportedly collects each week at Bramall Lane.
United have a big decision to make on Brewster, who is out of contract this summer as he approaches the end of the five-year deal he penned to sign from Liverpool back in 2020 for a reported £23.5 million sum.
Rhian Brewster for Sheffield United
Brewster has picked up in recent weeks and has posted his most prolific league campaign in South Yorkshire, eclipsing a record of three Championship strikes in the 2021/22 term.
But that’s a damning indictment of just how disappointing his time with the Blades has been, even if injuries have played a big part.
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