Named and shamed: The Premiership clubs which pay backroom staff 'poverty wages' as players pocket millions

Premier League football clubs are paying their backroom staff "poverty wages" of as little as £200 a week, a report claimed today.

In contrast to the millions being earned by star players, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, West Ham and Fulham are all paying barely the minimum wage of £5.25 an hour to cleaners, kitchen porters, cashiers and bar staff, the IPPR think-tank report found.

On the eve of the new season, the IPPR and the Fair Pay Network antipoverty campaign released research claiming that the problem of low pay was "endemic" at top-flight clubs across the country  -  and at all five Premier League London clubs.

Chelsea yesterday made Frank Lampard the league's highest ever paid player with a £39.2 million contract. The deal puts him on £151,000 a week  -  equivalent to £3,775 an hour.

But while Chelsea pays its players more than £150 million a year, some of its staff are paid the basic minimum wage, the IPPR report found.

The Barclays-Premier League is the most lucrative in the world. The combined revenues of its 20 clubs stood at about £1.9 billion last season and they spent £600 million on players.

Revenues are set to rise dramatically owing to ticket price increases and new broadcasting rights.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson today called on the clubs to start paying the London Living Wage of £7.45 an hour  -  set by City Hall at £2 an hour more than the national minimum wage because the capital's housing costs are so high.

Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe is joining forces with Premier League sponsor Barclays  -  which itself is committed to "fair pay" for all its staff  -  to campaign throughout the 2008-9 season for all clubs to improve their wage rates for those working off the pitch.

Mr Sutcliffe said: "There is a huge amount of money in football and it is only fair that everyone working for a Premier League club should reap the benefits."

The issue is to be highlighted in Parliament as the Government tries to persuade the clubs to pay more.

The IPPR survey of all 20 Premier League clubs found some paying staff not in cash but in match tickets. One club outside London paid a £25 fee for five hours work for a steward on match days, which is technically illegal under minimum wage legislation.

A spokesman for Tottenham said: "We review our staff salaries, bonuses and benefits annually and believe we are not only fair but also competitive, as demonstrated by our high staff retention rates. Clearly there are numerous third party suppliers who are reviewed on renewal of their contracts and we shall continue to do this."

Chelsea said that it did not comment publicly on surveys of any kind. West Ham, Arsenal and Fulham were not available for comment.