Fair Game have carried out a club survey from the Premiership to the National Leagues.
Hereford were included in the survey.
In the most comprehensive survey of men’s professional football in England and Scotland, Fair Game have ranked every football club in the Premier League, the EFL, the National League, the National League North and the National League South, and the top four men’s divisions in Scotland on four criteria set out in the original Fan-Led Review:
Financial Sustainability
Good Governance
Fan Engagement
Equality and Ethical Standards
Fair Game believes to change football’s culture this ranking should be used to reward well-run clubs - simply put the higher they score the higher the share of football’s TV revenue they get.
The results for Hereford:
Fair Game Index: 36.9/100
Financial Sustainability: 13.7/40
Equality Standards: 4.7/20
Good Goverance 11.5/40
Fan and Community Engagement: 7/10
Notes on the National North League:
The National League North scored the worst overall in the Fair Game Index in England with an average of 22.1. This was the second worst division in the study.
Low financial sustainability (11.6) and good governance (4.7) scores are the main contributors to this. However, four NLN clubs scored in the top 10 for fan and community engagement in England, Scarborough Athletic (8.3), Banbury United (8.3), Chester (8.0) and Darlington (7.7) with Hereford (7.0) and Chorley (7.0) scoring in the top 20.
The clubs
Best overall: Chester (51.5 / 100)
Best for financial sustainability: Chester (30.5 / 40)
Best for good governance: Hereford (11.5 / 30)
Best for fan and community engagement: Scarborough Athletic & Banbury United (8.3 / 10)
Best for equality and ethical standards: Chester (7.0 / 20)
The Index explained
The Index looks at the top seven divisions in the English men’s football pyramid and the top four in Scotland - a total of 206 clubs. The clubs have then measured against 226 different touchpoints spread across four different strands: Financial Sustainability, Good Governance, Equality and Ethical Standards, and Fan & Community Engagement.
Fair Game’s strength is based on extensive research. In each of the four strands, we have worked closely with clubs, supporters groups, leading academics and industry experts to analyse the issues and identify measurable and meaningful touchpoints. In some cases this has already led to published research notably on Owners and Directors Test, Environmental Sustainability, Good Governance, Gender Inequality, and football’s failed financial flow. Steve Radley project manages our research with help from several universities, while Adam Davis, lecturer at UCFB, and Joshua Price, director of Goal Assist, help coordinate the data collection with the help of Rob Harrison from Ethical Consumer, who has extensive experience of auditing and creating business ratings.
So what is included in the strands?
Financial Sustainability includes 38 touchpoints and includes measures such as accounting, debt, ticket pricing and sponsorship.
Good Governance draws on 55 different metrics and covers areas such as board structure, accountability and transparency.
Equality and Ethical Standards has the most touchpoints - 106 - and covers a very broad range of topics from ethics to sexism, and from environmental impact to racism.
Fan and Community Engagement has 30 touchpoints, including fan representation and community investment.