Every Club in England Ranked by How Well They Are Run

In brief
According to a 2024 study, Tottenham Hotspur is the best-run football team in England.
Despite a number of problems in recent months, Manchester United is ranked second.
Despite their struggles in League One, Cambridge United is the third-best-run club in England.
The wonderful game is football. Fans around the world admire it, making it the most popular sport in the world. It is both a form of purist art and entertainment. However, some people view it as a business as well, and those in charge of managing football teams must handle it as such. Making money and succeeding on and off the pitch are their objectives.

Although this may not be as severe for teams at the bottom of the pyramid as it is for those at the top of the Premier League, they are nevertheless expected to do every effort to manage teams efficiently. In all honesty, some are performing far better than others. Just before the 2024–25 football season began, Fair Game undertook a study that has now shown how well every team in the top seven English football leagues is being managed.

A research called the Fair Game Index examines a number of important aspects of managing a football team and utilises them to assess how well a team is managed. Financial sustainability, good governance, equity standards, and fan and community engagement are the main aspects that are examined. These have been used to rate all clubs, from the Premier League to the National League North and South, according to how well they are being managed. Let’s examine the highly intriguing findings.

Premier League

Manchester United are second

The study claims that Tottenham Hotspur is currently the best-run team across all seven of England’s leagues. Despite the fact that they haven’t won anything in a while, Daniel Levy’s team is performing well overall. Many of Manchester United’s supporters may find it hard to accept that the team is in second place given their recent problems. Expect the results of the 2024–25 season to be a little different for the Red Devils because they had to deal with stadium leaks and a rodent infestation.

Notably, just ten of the Premier League teams from the previous season rank among the top 20 in the nation for runs. Among the teams that qualified were Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal. A small inaccuracy exists in the table; Bournemouth is ranked 20th, but their actual ranking is 53rd. Even though the Cherries have been playing well on the pitch lately, they are still the lowest-ranked team in the top flight.

Championship

Norwich City are first

Norwich City and Swansea City are the fifth and sixth best run teams in the nation, respectively, despite playing in the Championship. In addition, they are the top two teams in the second division; Plymouth Argyle, albeit facing a real relegation threat, is one spot below them. Only those three finish in the nation’s top 20 during the entire Championship.

The three teams that were promoted to the first division the previous season—Leiceum City, Southampton, and Ipswich Town—are currently placed 26th, 28th, and 30th overall. Even though they won the FA Cup the previous season, Coventry City is the lowest-ranked Championship team—in fact, they are placed as low as 101st out of all teams in the nation. Earlier this season, the Sky Blues fired long-time manager Mark Robins in favour of former England star Frank Lampard, and their difficult choice has paid off as they have risen back up the table.

League One

Cambridge United are third overall

The fact that Cambridge United is placed third in the entire nation for how well they are managed is a rather unexpected revelation in the rankings. It is evidence of the outstanding job being done at the club. They are now second-last in League One and are having trouble on the pitch. Four additional division teams are in the top 20 nationwide: Bolton Wanderers, Carlisle United, Lincoln City, and Exeter City, who are placed ninth, eleventh, sixteenth, and eighteenth, respectively. The latter is more unexpected considering the financial problems the former Premier League team has faced over the past ten years.

The Royals are ranked 100th in the nation and dead last among League One teams, which is hardly surprising given how awful Reading has been playing lately.

League Two

Notts County are only 22nd

As we move on to League Two, only two teams are in the top 20, with AFC Wimbledon and Forest Green Rovers finishing eighth and fourteenth overall, respectively. The latter has a strong reputation for their outstanding work creating an environmentally conscious club, but they weren’t as successful on the pitch, losing to the National League last time out and having four managers take over during the season, including Troy Deeney. They are currently sitting third in the National League and are alm

National League

York City are first

York City is first in the National League. Chesterfield is second in the league but far lower overall in 55th place, whereas the Minstermen are 21st in the nation. However, the Spireites swept to promotion last season after dominating the competition. Marc White is the owner and manager of Dorking Wanderers, a team that was only established in 1999 but has recently risen through the football leagues before being demoted for taking a step too far.

As they finished 153 out of 164 teams nationwide and second from bottom in the National League, the results show that their ascent to popularity is not a reflection of how well the club is operated. Despite Dorking’s relatively low ranking, White is renowned for his bold and honest demeanour, and overall, he has performed admirably. The lowest-ranked team in the entire nation is AFC Fylde, which is rated 164th.

National League North

Scarborough Athletic are second

Football for Everyone!

Scarborough Athletic FC Community Trust and Hawkes Health have teamed up to launch ‘Football for Everyone’ initiative, to deliver free football sessions for children with a range of disabilities.

Find out more: https://t.co/9LvGfIlxSm pic.twitter.com/qiaMgSJ3Qi

— Scarborough Athletic FC (@safc) September 24, 2024

Moving onto the National League North, 4th placed Chester are ranked first and they’re surprisingly 22nd across the country. Scarborough Athletic, who were only formed in 2007 following the folding of Scarborough FC, are 13th in the league, but 33rd overall. The last few years have been very kind to the Seadogs and the fan-owned club have done an exceptional job rebuilding the ashes of the seaside town’s former team.

Scunthorpe United have fallen down the football pyramid in recent years, suffering relegation on three occasions over the last five years. That’s reflected in the fact they’ve been ranked 113th across the country and seventh in the division. The Iron are however leading the race for promotion this season.