Bath biggest spenders in English Prem, report finds

Bath spent the most money of all 10 clubs in the Prem in their treble-winning season of 2024-25, a report published by Prem Rugby has found.

The reigning league champions invested around £8.5m into their squad, including £6.4m permitted under the salary cap limit, plus deductions for credits and their excluded player - a player who sits outside the cap - Scotland fly-half Finn Russell.

Saracens, Harlequins, Sale and Leicester also spent up to, or close to, the salary cap limit, which returned to £6.4m last season following three years set at £5m.

The average salary in the competition is £191,000 per year.

In March, clubs agreed to introduce a 'salary floor' - a minimum amount each team must spend on players' wages - from next season in an attempt to keep the top flight as closely fought as possible.

Each club will be obliged to spend £5.4m a season on talent.

The salary cap - a £6.4m limit on squad spending, albeit with 'credits' on offer for home-grown talent and other factors which stretch the restriction to £7.8m - will remain the same.

Fly-half remains the highest paid position in the Prem on £260,000, with back row second at £192,000.

The lowest paid position is wing on £132,000, with prop on slightly more on £144,000.

Like Russell, Sale's George Ford, Marcus Smith at Harlequins and Saracens' Maro Itoje are among the excluded players, with their average salary £533,000.

Bottom side Newcastle spent the least of all clubs and failed to reach £4m overall.

"The cap continues to be supported by all and it is central to driving the competitiveness of the Prem," chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor said.

"With six different winners in as many years, we should all be proud of our system that ensures that any club, on any given day, can compete for the biggest prize in English rugby."

Together with their first league title since 1996, Bath lifted the Premiership Rugby Cup and European Challenge Cup last year.