A campaign launched in Yorkshire to press professional football clubs to pay staff the living wage is gaining ground, the annual conference of Yorkshire and the Humber region of the Trades Union Congress heard in Bradford on Saturday.

The “Foul Pay” campaign was launched at last year’s conference in Sheffield.

Tim Roach, Yorkshire and Derbyshire regional secretary of general union GMB, said on Saturday the first club to sign up to the Living Wage Charter was north west co-operative football club FC United.

Mr Roach said the difference between agreeing to pay the living wage and signing the charter was that as well as paying directly employed staff the wage, charter signatories insist that contractors do the same.

“Chelsea did not just pay the living wage — they signed up,” said Mr Roach. “Manchester City, Celtic and Heart of Midlothian have agreed to pay.”

“We then heard that the English Premier League football clubs had been offered a deal worth £1.53 billion by Sky Sports.”

He said league bosses at first refused to pay the living wage, saying: “Our job is to entertain people, not redistribute the wealth in the game.”

But, said Mr Roach: “A few days ago the Premier League agreed to pay the living wage to their staff.”

He added that the living wage would not be implemented until the 2016-7 season and that it would benefit only directly employed staff.

“We have won a battle, but not the war,” he said.