Liverpool crowned champions of English football's sustainability league

Report calls for improved equality and financial management in British football

A new report by Fair Game found that Liverpool was the most sustainable club in the Premier League. Reuters.

A new report reveals the most sustainable football clubs at the top of English football, with Liverpool found to be the best-run team in the Premier League.

The analysis, published on Thursday by Fair Game UK, looked at factors including fan engagement, financial management and equality standards to rank clubs in England’s top two divisions.

Fair Game describes itself as a coalition of "value-driven" football clubs and individuals seeking to promote better governance of football in England and Wales.

The findings showed Liverpool leading the way in the top flight, with Southampton and Arsenal completing the top three.

The Reds scored particularly highly on equality, measured by factors such as gender ratio at boardroom level and recruitment of women and ethnic minority candidates to leadership roles.

The Merseyside club also scored high for governance, which looked at issues such as transparency and rates of pay for non-football staff.

Finishing bottom of the table were Nottingham Forest, hamstrung by their financial rating of 1 out of a maximum score of 40, significantly behind the second least financially solvent, Bournemouth, with 9.4.

Nottingham Forest spent 202 per cent of their revenue on player wages over the period analysed. The recommended proportion of revenue going on wages is 70 per cent.

Financial ratings were calculated according to figures obtained from clubs’ annual accounts, measuring assets against liabilities, the amount owed in short-term loans, as well as the money spent on wages.

Premier League pacesetters Arsenal ranked fourth in the index despite recording the best result for financial sustainability.

Manchester United ranked sixth overall, despite having the Premier League’s lowest score for equality standards.

Newcastle got the lowest result for engagement with their fans, calculated according to factors such as dialogue with supporters, fan representation on the board, and how successful a club is at communicating decisions.

Norwich’s high governance and fan-engagement scores meant they comfortably topped the Championship ratings.

The champions Manchester City were eighth overall, while Chelsea, who have committed £400 million ($496.5 million) on transfers since new owner Todd Boehly took control last May, were ninth.

Niall Couper, chief executive of Fair Game, said that "football is in crisis" and that the pandemic and cost-of-living crises "have stretched finances to the limit".

“For the first time we have a measure that shows which clubs are well run.

“But equally we’ve shown the challenges clubs face to become sustainable – vital in ensuing the history and traditions of football clubs, so cherished by supporters, are secure for the long term.

“Football needs a culture change. It needs to start celebrating and rewarding good behaviour, and we believe the Sustainability Index does that.”