Arsenal are set to pay all matchday staff the London Living Wage, and are applying to become accredited with the Living Wage scheme.

Arsenal's Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus (R) celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 1, 2022. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus (R) celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 1, 2022. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Tim Payton reports from the Arsenal Advisory Board that after a long campaign from the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust for all matchday staff to be paid the London Living Wage, this is now happening.

This includes both staff employed directly by the club and by agencies, and Arsenal will apply for accreditation with the Living Wage Foundation scheme.

LondonWorld reported back in late 2021 that the only London clubs accredited by the scheme were Chelsea, Crystal Palace, West Ham, and Dulwich Hamlet FC.

Other top-flight clubs like Arsenal, Brentford, Spurs, and Watford (who were in the Premier League at the time), were not among the list of UK employers confirmed to be paying the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended hourly rate.

It seems Arsenal have now rectified this, and they’ll look to get this officially confirmed by the foundation.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20: A flare is seen following the UEFA Europa League group A match between Arsenal FC and PSV Eindhoven at Emirates Stadium on October 20, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: A flare is seen following the UEFA Europa League group A match between Arsenal FC and PSV Eindhoven at Emirates Stadium on October 20, 2022. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Whilst it’s certainly true that Arsenal should have been meeting this threshold from the beginning, it’s good to see the club taking action after fan campaigning.

There have been a lot of examples of the club listening to and engaging with the fans this season, with recent examples including the new artwork around the ground, and the new banner on display at the Manchester United game.

When that engagement leads to positive outcomes like matchday staff being paid a fair wage, that’s an encouraging sign for the future of the club.

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