The Fair Game Index

Frequently Asked Questions

There are four parameters, what is the maximum score for each?

The four criteria are weighted: 40% financial measures; 30% governance; 20% fan engagement; 10% equality standards. Each of the criteria is developed from dozens of touchpoints, creating the most comprehensive analysis of teams at the top end of the English football pyramid. The weighting was settled on my Fair Game's team of experts. However, the Index is built on an ethos of constant improvement and the weighting will always be under review.

The Index only covers the top four English leagues, have you got plans to go further?

Our long-term aim is to cover all the clubs down to the National League North and South.

What is the purpose of the Sustainability Index?

The Index aims to monitor the sustainability of football clubs by looking at their financial solvency, governance and equality standards, and fan engagement. We believe that it will be the essential metric for the independent regulator to assess the health of football.

How could the Index help change the financial flow in football?

Football has operated in a gambling culture for decades, with owners encouraged to overspend caught by the Siren Call of the Premier League. It is a game of Russian Roulette with the history and traditions of clubs at stake.

Instead football should reward well-run clubs, and incentivise clubs to change. Football’s financial flow should be based on those that score well on financial measures, good governance, equality standards and fan engagement - all key elements of the recent Fan-Led Review.

How do you work out how much each club gets under your model?

The model is based on two fundamental undisputed principles developed by our team of financial experts:

• Parachute payments are flawed and must be abolished

• The EFL’s current distribution model (80% of revenue received from Premier League TV revenues goes to Championship clubs, 12% to League One, and 8% to League Two) is also flawed 

Fair Game’s financial experts conclude the EFL distribution model must be more aligned to the size of those divisions and address the internal cliff edges between the divisions and the National League.

They conclude that the preferred option must be a distribution model of:

• 50% to Championship clubs

• 25% to League One

• 13% to League Two

• 6% to National League

• 3% to National League South

• 3% to National League North 

Using these core principles, the individual club amounts were worked using the following models:

For the Premier League:

1. Every club receives a category rating depending on their score in the Fair Game Index (cat 1 = 60+; cat 2 = 50-60; cat 3 = 40-50; cat 4 = 30-40; cat 5 = 0-30)

2. Each club then gets a category score (cat 1 = 1; cat 2 = 0;75; cat 3 = 0.5; cat 4 = 0.25; cat 5 = 0)

3. The category scores are then all added together to create a Premier League score.

4. By dividing the category score by the Premier League score you get an individual club weighting.

5. The total TV revenue given to the EPL, the EFL and the National League is £3,194.8m

6. The slider in the model allows user to vary the proportion of that total pot given to the EFL and the National League from 12% to 40%.

7. Each club receives the Equal Share that they currently get, which is £93.5m per club.

8. The remaining pot (point 5 - point 6 - point 7) is then allocated to individual clubs according to their club weighting.

9. The total amount a Premier League club receives is point 7 + point 8.

For the EFL and the National League:

1. Every club receives a category rating depending on their score in the Fair Game Index (cat 1 = 60+; cat 2 = 50-60; cat 3 = 40-50; cat 4 = 30-40; cat 5 = 0-30)

2. Each club then gets a category score (cat 1 = 1; cat 2 = 0;75; cat 3 = 0.5; cat 4 = 0.25, cat 5 = 0)

3. Each division has an overall category score - the sum of all the category scores of the clubs in that division. (Note: Clubs in the National League have not been scored yet and for these purposes are all assumed to be equally weighted)

4. Each division has a weighted coefficient (Champ = 0.5; L1 = 0.25; L2 =0.13; NL =0.06; NLS =0.03; NLN = 0.03) - this roughly reflects divisional attendances. By multiplying the weighted divisional coefficient by the total divisional category score, you get a divisional weighting.

5. Add all the divisional weightings together you get an overall score for the entire English football ecosystem - the overall divisional weighting.

6. Then it's about seeing what proportion of the overall score is reflected in the overall divisional weighting. This gives each division a new percentage weighting. This deals with the issue that some divisions may be dominated by well-run clubs, and others less so.

7. You then look at the Overall Available Pot to the EFL and the National League (the money given to the EFL and the National League and the potential solidarity transfer levy minus the 25% that goes to equal shares and other orgs), and split that our proportionally to develop a divisional pot.

8. Then it's about splitting the divisional pot into a fair share for each club - divide the total pot by the total category scores of that division to create a divisional base, and then multiple that base by the club's category score.

9. In addition, 10% of the Overall Available Pot is split into divisional pots (50% to Championship; 25% to League One; 13% to League Two; 6% to National League; 3% to National League North; and 3% to National League South). These pots are then allocated equally to the clubs in those divisions.

10. So the total amount a club receives is the sum of point 8 and point 9.