Tottenham voted best-run men's football club in England by Fair Game Index | Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham have been named England's best-run football club by a group advocating for better governance and sustainability within the game.

An analysis of the state of men's football in England by Fair Game, which works with 34 EFL and non-professional league clubs, showed five Premier League The clubs are ranked in the top 10 in the country. The Fair Game report analysed data from clubs across the top seven divisions of English football and awarded them a score out of 100 based on their financial sustainability, good governance, fan engagement and equality standards.

Spurs came top of the Fair Game Index with a combined score of 68.2 out of 100, a position boosted by a particularly high score for equality. Manchester United came second with a score of 65.4, a position boosted by their scores for financial stability and good governance. Brentford, Fulham and Liverpool are the other Premier League sides to feature in the top 10.

“As a club that prides itself on good governance, with a key focus on sustainability, fan engagement and delivering for our local communities, we are delighted to have been recognised as the best-run club in England by the Fair Game Index,” said Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy. “This ranking further demonstrates the huge strides being made off the pitch, with our world-class stadium and innovative partnerships enabling sustainable, recurring investment in our football operations to ensure we remain competitive on the pitch and challenge for top honours.”

“We welcome the work of Fair Game in highlighting the important role we can all play by operating sustainably to ensure our clubs remain at the heart of our local communities and enjoyed by fans for many generations to come.”

Fair Game has strongly advocated for the introduction of an independent football regulator and aims to develop practical solutions to improve governance in football. “To achieve real and meaningful change, we need to understand the issues,” said Fair Game chief executive Niall Couper. “We have designed the Fair Game Index to do exactly that and help reshape the game we love. It is the most comprehensive analysis yet of what it means to be a well-governed club, and we are calling on the authorities, the Football Regulator and football’s governing bodies to work with us.”

“Several overarching themes have emerged this year: financial sustainability goes hand in hand with good governance and fan engagement; football’s financial pipeline is undermining sustainability; and equality and ethical standards are, by and large, treated as mere lip service. In short, football in England needs a truly independent regulator that can oversee good governance, restructure football’s financial pipeline and ensure that issues around equality and ethics are given the support and respect they deserve.”

The Fair Game report ranked Cambridge United as the best-run club in the English Football League, third in the whole of England, with fellow League One side Exeter City also in the top 10. Norwich City and Swansea were the only Championship sides included in the list, while AFC Wimbledon were the only League Two side to make the list.