Julian Finney/Getty ImagesThe Premier League is often accused of being money driven and it is hard to argue when you see stories like this.
Friday's Guardian is reporting that 11 of the 20 Premier League clubs are now charging children for the right to be mascots at their games.
What was traditionally a way of rewarding a youngster from the local community has now become a money-spinning exercise.
As per the report:
Eleven Premier League teams, most of whom have spent time in the Championship in the past 10 years, ask a fee for being a mascot on matchday. Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City both charge £450 plus VAT for their packages while West Ham’s prices range from £350-£600 depending on the fixture.
The packages vary between £250-400 at Tottenham, £300-400 at Leicester City, £150-425 at Crystal Palace and £330-390 at Stoke. Burnley, West Bromwich Albion and Hull City also charge, while Newcastle United’s corporate hospitality packages of £3,000-4,000 include mascot places.
It's interesting that most of the bigger clubs in the league do not charge at all for mascot places.
The newspaper also notes that some of the clubs that charge, including Spurs, QPR and Newcastle, do give away some mascot places for free to charities or via competitions.
However, the cost of tickets and kits is also highlighted as a concern.
The average price of a junior kit is £65, while at five clubs, Liverpool (£200), Southampton (£235), Chelsea (£285), Tottenham (£295) and Arsenal (£345), all charge £200 or over for their most expensive season ticket.
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