Just how do those adorable boys and girls who hold hands with their favorite stars and participate in pre-game ceremonies get to walk out on the hallowed grounds of the English Premier League? Morethan half the Premier League clubs charge for the privilege.
These clubs have been accused of “excluding families from poorer backgrounds.” A Guardian study found that WestHam’s prices reached almost $1,000, while Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City both charged $720 plus tax for their packages. Some clubs allow for some mascots to be chosen via competitions andcharities. Nine clubs don’t charge at all.
“I find it extraordinary that clubs which are getting so much money from TV rights then exclude kids from poorer backgrounds by imposing afee,” said Clive Efford, the shadow minister for sport who is campaigning for fans to be represented on club boards of director. “It means that a certainclass of kids will never be able to be a team’s mascot, and that doesn’t seem fair when their clubs are earning so much money. It seems ridiculous that some will be excluded because theirparents can’t afford to put them on a waiting list.”
It never occurred to me that families had to pay for their child to be a mascot. They should be chosen by a drawing no matter what their economic background might be. There should also be consistency among all the clubs concerning this issue.