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CAFC off-field hiring practices

PaddyP17
PaddyP17 Posts: 13,132
in General Charlton

As I follow the club on LinkedIn, I have seen we are hiring for roles every so often. We have, as of a few hours ago, advertised for a Commercial Partnerships Executive for £28,500 a year.

This role is "Permanent, full time including Academy Matchday and as directed by your line manager".

The London Living Wage is £14.80 an hour. At 37.5 hours a week (9-5, half an hour for lunch), the FTE of this is £28,860 - £360 more than the club offers.

The role asks for "1-3 years' experience in sponsorship, sales, or commercial account management".

Link here: https://cafc.peoplehr.net/Pages/JobBoard/Opening.aspx?v=0d54e7dc-ced9-45df-8bc2-cd0d37be6568

How do we feel about this? I work in executive search and have a background in recruitment, and... this feels horrendously exploitative, if I'm honest. Would welcome any other thoughts.

Comments

  • SporadicAddick
    SporadicAddick Posts: 7,195
    edited March 7
    I believe it’s the case that clubs (not just Charlton) can get away with low salaries relative to non football equivalents because of the lure of working in football.

    Ultimately, provided they aren’t operating outside of the law in regards to the minimum wage, then it’s a choice of the potential employee.

    There’s possibly a fine line between exploitative and piss take. I’d err on the side of piss take because no one is cajoled into the role, and the successful candidate would understand the markets rates and therefore remain at their own free will.
  • swords_alive
    swords_alive Posts: 4,721
    As it seems to me to be a sales job i'd have expected some commission earnings on top?

    The stated benefits otherwise seem pretty standard -"private medical insurance, health cash back plan, EAP, auto enrolled pension".
    You'd need to run a car to get between the locations unless busses or a loop train in a sweat is your thing, and tolerable.

    As to whether it's exploitative, i think that will partly depend on the how much this role supports the wage of the 'senior supervision'., i.e. the tiers above. If that's high with this so low then there could at least be a fairer distribution within the company.

    With the general cost of living rising unrelentingly, need to get up and start work by 9am latest, London traffic, and no doubts a-holes you have to work with, and deal with, the (younger?) target audience may still fall for it, or use it as a stop gap i'd guess.
  • swords_alive
    swords_alive Posts: 4,721
    They also say lower down that the offer includes;

    What We Offer:

    • Competitive salary within Championship market range
    • Revenue-linked bonus structure
    • Clear progression pathway to Senior Commercial Executive
    • Opportunity to work within a high-growth Championship club environment 

    @bobmunro for his thoughts

  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 21,426
    edited March 7
    swords_alive said:
    They also say lower down that the offer includes;

    What We Offer:

    • Competitive salary within Championship market range
    • Revenue-linked bonus structure
    • Clear progression pathway to Senior Commercial Executive
    • Opportunity to work within a high-growth Championship club environment 

    @bobmunro for his thoughts


    The salary on offer is pretty much par for the course, maybe on the low side for London. Benefits packages are also in the range you would expect and some clubs would add others, Income Protection Insurance for example, plus staff season tickets. Pay rates for non-football staff at clubs are histortically poor across the whole of football. 

    As @SporadicAddick has already said, the hook is your last point. Many people think that working for a football club is glamorous, and obviously it is if your on the playing side, but try telling that to say a ticket office member of staff. Many lower paid employees, particularly at provincial clubs, are also fans and that draws them.
  • clive
    clive Posts: 20,094
    edited March 7
    What i don't understand is why the club does not advertise jobs prominently on the club website, where supporters may see a job & be prepared to maybe work for a little less money for the privilege of working at the club they support.
    For example this appeared very recently on the Millwall website.
    https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/news/2026/march/04/lions-hiring-facilities-manager/
  • sammy391
    sammy391 Posts: 3,991
    Unfortunately, this desire to low ball ‘entry level’ jobs as well as having them work as many hours as possible, has likely been the/a reason we are on our 3rd Fan Engagement Officer of the season.
  • southamptonaddick
    southamptonaddick Posts: 4,149
    I don't get all the fuss.
    You've been given the details of the job (including wages) so if it suits you you apply for it, if it doesn't you don't.
    🙄
  • LargeAddick
    LargeAddick Posts: 33,468
    Wonder if we will see a new CEO anytime soon?
  • TelMc32
    TelMc32 Posts: 9,277
    bobmunro said:
    swords_alive said:
    They also say lower down that the offer includes;

    What We Offer:

    • Competitive salary within Championship market range
    • Revenue-linked bonus structure
    • Clear progression pathway to Senior Commercial Executive
    • Opportunity to work within a high-growth Championship club environment 

    @bobmunro for his thoughts


    The salary on offer is pretty much par for the course, maybe on the low side for London. Benefits packages are also in the range you would expect and some clubs would add others, Income Protection Insurance for example, plus staff season tickets. Pay rates for non-football staff at clubs are histortically poor across the whole of football. 

    As @SporadicAddick has already said, the hook is your last point. Many people think that working for a football club is glamorous, and obviously it is if you’re on the playing side, but try telling that to say a ticket office member of staff. Many lower paid employees, particularly at provincial clubs, are also fans and that draws them.
    One of our best friends started as Financial Controller at a North West first division (before Premier League days). They told him about the “clear progression to the FD role”, but the FD was a lifelong fan and had no intention of ever leaving. Friend moved on to get his progression elsewhere over the years.
  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 21,426
    TelMc32 said:
    bobmunro said:
    swords_alive said:
    They also say lower down that the offer includes;

    What We Offer:

    • Competitive salary within Championship market range
    • Revenue-linked bonus structure
    • Clear progression pathway to Senior Commercial Executive
    • Opportunity to work within a high-growth Championship club environment 

    @bobmunro for his thoughts


    The salary on offer is pretty much par for the course, maybe on the low side for London. Benefits packages are also in the range you would expect and some clubs would add others, Income Protection Insurance for example, plus staff season tickets. Pay rates for non-football staff at clubs are histortically poor across the whole of football. 

    As @SporadicAddick has already said, the hook is your last point. Many people think that working for a football club is glamorous, and obviously it is if you’re on the playing side, but try telling that to say a ticket office member of staff. Many lower paid employees, particularly at provincial clubs, are also fans and that draws them.
    One of our best friends started as Financial Controller at a North West first division (before Premier League days). They told him about the “clear progression to the FD role”, but the FD was a lifelong fan and had no intention of ever leaving. Friend moved on to get his progression elsewhere over the years.

    Yes, the way of the modern world, especially for professional roles.

    Not many 40 years service and a gold watch careers now.

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  • JohnnyH2
    JohnnyH2 Posts: 5,463
    sammy391 said:
    Unfortunately, this desire to low ball ‘entry level’ jobs as well as having them work as many hours as possible, has likely been the/a reason we are on our 3rd Fan Engagement Officer of the season.
    They should rethink their process, and instead of going for youngsters, Look at people at the other end of work life looking for something who know the club, football and working life in general better
  • Rob7Lee
    Rob7Lee Posts: 9,825
    A company can offer a job at whatever salary etc level it see's fit (as long as it stays within the law, i.e. minimum wage).

    If it's not competitive you either won't fill it, or you won't get the right caliber of staff. Simples. It's not explotitive.

    FWIW and to put in perspective though the salary, thats exactly what we pay apprentices (usually straight out of school A Levels) in the city. But then we make lots of money, Charlton don't.
  • fenaddick
    fenaddick Posts: 16,596
    Rob7Lee said:
    A company can offer a job at whatever salary etc level it see's fit (as long as it stays within the law, i.e. minimum wage).

    If it's not competitive you either won't fill it, or you won't get the right caliber of staff. Simples. It's not explotitive.

    FWIW and to put in perspective though the salary, thats exactly what we pay apprentices (usually straight out of school A Levels) in the city. But then we make lots of money, Charlton don't.
    This is the biggest issue and why you often see the same job advertised a couple of times a year. Hire cheap, hire twice 
  • Addickforlife
    Addickforlife Posts: 2,107
    edited March 7
    This isn’t just a Charlton/football thing. I work in the sports industry and unfortunately the salaries for that kind of role are low across the board at clubs/rights holders/national governing bodies. 
  • CAFCTrev
    CAFCTrev Posts: 6,182
    edited March 7
    bobmunro said:
    swords_alive said:
    They also say lower down that the offer includes;

    What We Offer:

    • Competitive salary within Championship market range
    • Revenue-linked bonus structure
    • Clear progression pathway to Senior Commercial Executive
    • Opportunity to work within a high-growth Championship club environment 

    @bobmunro for his thoughts


    As @SporadicAddick has already said, the hook is your last point. Many people think that working for a football club is glamorous, and obviously it is if you're on the playing side, but try telling that to say a ticket office member of staff. Many lower paid employees, particularly at provincial clubs, are also fans and that draws them.
    As someone who worked in the ticket office on match days for 11 years, I can confirm that virtually none of the staff were Charlton fans. 
  • valleynick66
    valleynick66 Posts: 5,253
    It’s a poor salary if you genuinely expect to attract relevant experience. 

    Amazing how many execs / senior management justify these numbers when they evaluate their own rewards. 

    If it was genuinely a low start point and much opportunity to progress and gain promotion/salary increases then maybe. 

    I guess it’s how we meet our mission statement to be ‘sustainable’ ie minimise cost. 
  • AberystwythAddick
    AberystwythAddick Posts: 1,333
    Clubs around the world are exploiting the goodwill of fans. If people want to do the job then that’s on them 
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,856
    JohnnyH2 said:
    sammy391 said:
    Unfortunately, this desire to low ball ‘entry level’ jobs as well as having them work as many hours as possible, has likely been the/a reason we are on our 3rd Fan Engagement Officer of the season.
    They should rethink their process, and instead of going for youngsters, Look at people at the other end of work life looking for something who know the club, football and working life in general better
    Where do I apply?

    Only joking but you are spot on.

    It shouldn't be an entry level role but a specialist one.
  • swords_alive
    swords_alive Posts: 4,721
    edited March 8
    Rob7Lee said:
    A company can offer a job at whatever salary etc level it see's fit (as long as it stays within the law, i.e. minimum wage).

    If it's not competitive you either won't fill it, or you won't get the right caliber of staff. Simples. It's not explotitive.

    FWIW and to put in perspective though the salary, thats exactly what we pay apprentices (usually straight out of school A Levels) in the city. But then we make lots of money, Charlton don't.
    It is exploitative if a disproportionate slice is going to those above. That is something that causes resentment. It also causes secrecy around wages which leads to rumours and more disquiet, and a general defensiveness from management- who would likely not like full transparency, let alone fairness if it threatens their positions.

    In football's case relatively enormous player wages mean the whole industry is lopsided, but there's also a management tier probably taking more than they should in the back office. I'd like to see the full wage structure, then we'd have a better idea. Until then, yeah it's low wages but good luck to anyone who is able and willing to tolerate it.

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