It takes much more than just talented players and a capable manager to succeed in top level football. Football has advanced to the point where a robust infrastructure is essential for any team hoping to compete at the highest levels and accomplish their objectives, although decades ago that could have been all that counted.
Although it is challenging to identify the characteristics of a well-run football team, a recent study called The Fair Game Index has succeeded in doing so. The Premier League team with the finest operation has been identified by evaluating teams according to criteria such as equality, ethical standards, fan and community involvement, food governance, and financial sustainability.
20-16
Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Everton, Newcastle United, Aston Villa
There are a lot of different teams in the bottom five. Some fans may have thought these teams would be that low, while others will have been a surprise. Finally, Bournemouth is at the very bottom. The seaside club got a very low score of 42.5 out of 100. This ranking might come as a surprise to some, since the Cherries played very well under Andoni Iraola in 2023–24, a season when many would say the club did too well.
It may be normal for teams like Nottingham Forest and Everton to be so low on the rankings. Last season, both teams lost points because they didn’t follow the rules for financial fair play. Forest is second from the bottom in terms of their financial sustainability score because of this. The Toffees, whose name may be a bit of a joke, are at the bottom of the list when it comes to food government.
Newcastle United and Aston Villa round out the bottom five. Both of these teams have changed a lot on the pitch in the last few years, under Eddie Howe and Unai Emery, respectively.
The best-run teams in the Premier League (20-16)
Rank
Club
Money Matters
Government
The same
Engaging with fans
Whole
20
Bournemouth
17.9
9.3
9.6
4.7
42.5
19
Forest of Nottingham
16.7
13.6
9.5
4.0
42.8
18
Everton
23.0
5.5
9.4
5.7
43.6
17
United of Newcastle
22.7
10.4
8.3
4.0
45.4
16
Notts County
23.0
9.8
8.1
5.7
46.6
15–11: West Ham United, Southampton, Ipswich Town, Watford, Leicester City
The next three teams on the list are Leicester City, Southampton, and Ipswich Town. The teams that are fighting to stay in the Premier League are doing well to beat some more experienced teams, at least in terms of how they are run. But it’s not all good news. Southampton is ranked last in terms of how financially stable they are, which shows how valuable the riches of England’s first division could be for them and how important it is for them to stay up.
There is reason to cheer for Ivan Juric’s team when it comes to fan involvement, as they are one of the top scorers in that area. The Tractor Boys, led by Kieran McKenna, had a bad game when it came to equality. They got only 7.2 out of 20 points, which was the lowest score in this category.
The Wolves, led by Vitor Pereira, are currently in 12th place in the table. Most of their numbers accurately reflect their position, which is right in the middle, though their lack of financial stability does bring them down a bit. West Ham United is the last team in the bottom half. The Irons’ overall score is lower because their community interaction result isn’t very good. They will find comfort in the fact that there haven’t been any protests on the pitch in recent years, which is something that happened when the Hammers were in worse shape.
The best-run teams in the Premier League (15–11)
Rank
Club
Money Matters
Government
The same
Engaging with fans
Whole
15
City of Leicester
18.0
14.7
11.3
4.3
48.3
14
Southampton
15.4
15.8
11.7
5.7
48.6
13
Town of Ipswich
24.6
12.5″
7.2
5.0
49.3
12
Wanderers of Wolverhampton
16.0
16.9
13.8
4.3
51.0
11
West Ham United
23.6
12.0
11.7
4.3
51.4
10-6 Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester City, and Chelsea scored goals.
As we move up to the middle of the list, there are some well-known names that may confuse some people as to why they are where they are. Crystal Palace’s 10th place seems to fit in best with the other four teams in this group. Steve Parish’s practical approach to running a football club has helped the Eagles stay in the top flight for over a decade. On the other hand, Arsenal’s ninth-place finish is even more surprising given how much better they’ve been playing since Mikel Arteta took over. When the Spanish player was younger, this spot might have been more expected, but the Gunners may feel like they got snubbed because of who is in sixth place.
Brighton has also become a major force in recent years, and their ability to make a lot of money in the trade market has helped them get to eighth place. Then there’s Manchester City. Because they’ve won so many games, the winners of the last four years look like the best run team in the country. They do have to deal with the 115 FFP charges, which could cause their ranking to drop a lot in the future.
Surprise, surprise, Chelsea is better than the Cityzens. The Blues are a laughingstock because Todd Boehly has been in charge of bad play and random hiring. However, this report ranks the Blues the same way across the board, giving them the same spot here as they did in the real Premier League table last season.
The best-run teams in the Premier League (10-6)
Rank
Club
Money Matters
Government
The same
Engaging with fans
Whole
10
Palace of Crystal
20.6
14.7
11.7
5.7
52.7
9
Firearms
27.4
10.9
12.5″
4.0
54.8
8
The Brighton and Hove Albion
20.5
14.7
15.1
5.7
56.0
7
City of Manchester
25.5
16.9
11.1
3.3
56.8
6
Chelsea
21.6
17.5
12.6
5.3
57.0
5-1 to Tottenham, Manchester United, Fulham, Liverpool, and Brentford
It’s hard to argue with Fulham, Liverpool, and Brentford’s spots in the top five. If this were five years ago, the Cottagers might have been in the bottom half because they couldn’t stay in the top flight for more than one season. But since Marco Silva took over, the London team has been able to solidify their place in the league. In the last 10 years, Liverpool has gone from being a mid-table team to one of the best in Europe. On the other hand, Brentford’s forward-thinking approach to hiring has made them a well-oiled underdog machine that fans love; the Bees have the highest score for fan engagement.
Manchester United comes in second, which is crazy. Even though they’ve been in bad press lately, they still have the best rankings for financial sustainability and food governance. The low prices at Old Trafford probably help. With a new football leadership team in place, they will be hoping that the players perform at a high level again.
That means Daniel Levy’s Tottenham is the best team. Fans think that Ange Postecoglou is doing a great job with the team and that they have the best ground in English football. This makes them the best run team in the whole Premier League. Fans of Spurs will be hoping that this is the start of the club finally winning some silverware again.
The best-run teams in the Premier League (5-1)
Rank
Club
Money Matters
Government
The same
Engaging with fans
Whole
5
Liverpool
25.4
15.8
12.1
4.0
47.3
4
Fulham
28.4
16.4
7.7
5.7
5.8
3.
Brentford
26.5
14.7
12.3
6.7
60.2
2
City of Manchester
29.1
20.7
10.9
4.7
65.4
1.
Spurs vs. Tottenham
28.5
19.1
14.9
5.7
68.2
