AFC Wimbledon Ranked as English Football’s Best-Run Club, According to Fair Game Index
AFC Wimbledon has been named as the best-run club in English football, according to a report by Fair Game, a group of academics, clubs, and financial experts focused on promoting sustainability in the game. The Fair Game Index evaluated all 92 clubs in the top four divisions based on four criteria: financial sustainability, good governance, fan engagement, and equality standards. Each club was given a score out of 100 points.
AFC Wimbledon, a fan-owned League Two side, topped the rankings with an impressive score of 73.58 points. Carlisle United and Cambridge United followed closely behind in second and third place, respectively. In the Premier League, Brentford emerged as the highest-placed team in 10th position, with Southampton and West Ham taking second and third place. The average score for Premier League clubs was 50, the highest among the four divisions. However, Nottingham Forest received the lowest score of just 17.20 points, with only relegated Hartlepool performing worse.
Premier League clubs achieved the highest average scores for financial sustainability, good governance, and equality standards. However, they scored the lowest in fan engagement. Plymouth Argyle, the League One champions, were the only club to achieve a perfect score of 40 for financial sustainability. Cambridge United excelled in governance with a score of 20.88 out of 30. Exeter City led in fan engagement with a score of 17.35 out of 20, while Lincoln City topped the rankings for equality standards with 6.54 points out of 10.
The Fair Game Index focuses on these four criteria as they were identified as crucial metrics in the government white paper on football governance published in February. The proposed legislation aims to establish an independent football regulator that will enforce stricter financial rules, oversee club takeovers, and potentially require the Premier League to share more of its substantial media income with the rest of the game.
Fair Game’s members, including newly promoted Premier League side Luton Town and 13 EFL teams, believe that well-run clubs should receive a greater share of the money. They argue that rewarding clubs for their efforts will contribute to a future where football prioritizes sustainability. Niall Couper, the CEO of Fair Game, stated, “Distributing more money through the Index to the better-run clubs in the pyramid resolves those concerns.”
The EFL has been advocating for the Premier League to share 25% of the combined media income with Championship, League One, and League Two teams. Additionally, they propose redirecting the generous parachute payments given to recently relegated Premier League teams into the main solidarity pot. These measures aim to bridge the financial gap between the top two tiers of English football. However, the Premier League has offered a lower figure closer to 20% and made limited concessions on parachute payments.
Fair Game strongly opposes parachute payments, which amounted to over £210 million last season, nearly double the £120 million allocated by the Premier League as solidarity payments to the rest of the EFL. They argue that parachute payments distort competition in the Championship and force other clubs in the division to take unsustainable financial risks to keep up.
According to Dr. Mark Middling, Fair Game’s director of financial policy and a senior lecturer in accounting at Northumbria University, football’s sustainability is a significant concern. Since the establishment of the Premier League in 1992, there have been 64 instances of clubs in the top four divisions going into administration. Data from Companies House reveals that 44 of the top 92 clubs were technically insolvent in 2022, with 31% of clubs spending more on players’ wages than they earn. In the Championship, this figure rises to 68%.
The Fair Game Index provides valuable insights into the performance of English football clubs across various sustainability metrics. By rewarding well-run clubs and promoting financial stability, Fair Game aims to create a more sustainable future for the sport. The debate surrounding the distribution of income and parachute payments between the Premier League and lower divisions continues, with the hope of achieving a fairer and more balanced football pyramid.