How Burnley rank in comprehensive list of English football's best run clubs

The Fair Game Index for 2023 is a comprehensive survey of the clubs in the top four tiers, from the Premier League down to League Two.

The ranking system takes into account four key criteria, financial sustainability; good governance; fan engagement; and equality standards.

The best performing club across all divisions is AFC Wimbledon, followed by Carlisle United and Cambridge United.

The best performing club in the Premier League is Brentford, while Nottingham Forest finished bottom.

In the Championship, Burnley sit second behind Norwich City (60.25) with a score of 56.74 out of 100, followed by West Brom (50.15), Watford (47.39), Sheffield United (46.61), Swansea City (44.66) and Luton Town (44.43).

Middlesbrough (20.10) finish bottom of the list, below Cardiff City (21.62) and Blackburn Rovers (25.92).

On average, the second tier scores worst out of the four divisions, scoring badly for financial sustainability and good governance.

A breakdown of Burnley’s score is as follows:

Financial sustainability - 33 out of 40

Governance score - 13.66 out of 30

Fan engagement - 6.88 out of 20

Equality standards - 3.20 out of 10

Fair Game believes to change the culture of English football, this ranking should be used to reward well-run clubs by dishing out a higher share of TV revenue depending on how well they perform.

Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, said: “We launched the first Index six months ago and it’s fair to say it’s had a significant impact.

“You would struggle to find many who believe that the financial foundations of football in this country are either fair or sustainable.

“The Index was created as a practical, pragmatic, objective answer to the question ‘OK, so how can we make it fairer and more sustainable?’ and it’s not an exaggeration to say that it has provided an answer to that question.

“Built on the four pillars outlined in Tracey Crouch’s fan-led review – financial sustainability, good governance, fan engagement and equality standards - the first iteration helped lend the review the gravitas and simplicity needed for it to evolve into the current white paper.

“So we don’t feel it’s an over-step to claim some credit for the likely introduction of an independent regulator for the 2024/25 season.

“And that leads us neatly into the most up-to-date version of the Index, hot off the press, and with new, improved methodology, it’s just the next step in our aim to build the foundations necessary for ALL clubs to thrive, and in so doing to protect the nation’s favourite game.

“We believe there is a fairer future for football, and the Index holds the key.”

Championship index

Norwich City – 60.25

Burnley – 56.74

West Brom – 50.15

Watford – 47.39

Sheffield United – 46.61

Swansea City – 44.66

Luton Town – 44.43

Preston North End – 44.15

Blackpool – 44.11

Sunderland – 42.30

Rotherham United – 40.95

Hull City – 36.47

Stoke City – 35.90

Coventry City – 35.43

Bristol City – 35.30

Wigan Athletic – 35.04

Reading – 34.01

Millwall – 31.15

Huddersfield Town – 28.56

Birmingham City – 27.42

QPR – 26.63

Blackburn Rovers – 25.92

Cardiff City – 21.62

Middlesbrough – 20.10