Tottenham Hotspur has been named the best-run professional soccer club in England. According to an organization called Fair Game, Spurs topped their competition by scoring highly in several key areas. This includes financial sustainability, good governance, equality standards, and fan engagement.
Fair Game ultimately awarded Spurs with a combined score of 68.2 out of 100. While the North London club essentially received high ratings across the board, they particularly stood out in the equality section. Fair Game analyzes 106 different touchpoints in this category. It focuses on key issues such as sexism and racism.
Financial sustainability includes accounting figures, debt, ticket pricing, and sponsorships. Good governance looks at 55 areas such as board structure and transparency. Fan engagement, on the other hand, analyzes supporter representation and community investment.
“As a club that prides itself on good governance – with a key focus on sustainability and engagement with stakeholders and communities – we are delighted to have been recognized as England’s best-run club by the Fair Game Index,” stated Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
“This ranking further demonstrates the huge strides that are being made off the pitch, with our world-class stadium and innovative partnerships enabling sustainable, recurring investment into our football operations to ensure we remain competitive on the pitch and challenge major honors.”
The award, however, does not take into account any on-field success. Spurs have not managed to collect a trophy since 2008 when they lifted the League Cup. Now labeled the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, the trophy is the secondary knockout competition behind the FA Cup.
The North London side has also not won a top-flight title in the last 60 years. The club’s last First Division/Premier League championship came way back in 1961. American historical events such as the Kennedy Assassination and the moon landing occurred after this date.
The Premier League’s top two teams at the moment, Manchester City and Arsenal, were not in Fair Game’s top 10 list. In total, there were five top-flight teams in the rankings. Manchester United finished second just behind Spurs thanks to high scores in good governance and financial sustainability.
Along with Spurs and United, Brentford, Fulham, and Liverpool also managed to grab a spot in the top 10. Outside the Premier League, Cambridge United was the best-run team in the English Football League (EFL). Norwich and Swansea were the only Championship sides on the list. Other lower-level teams to round out the top 10 include Exeter City and Wimbledon.
Spurs began their 2024/25 season with a disappointing draw against Leicester City on Monday. The newly promoted side fought back to grab a point thanks to a second-half goal from star striker Jamie Vardy. Spurs will try to bounce back at the weekend when they face Everton on Saturday, August 24th.
Team officials have spent fairly heavily in the summer transfer market. Spurs finally replaced striker Harry Kane with former Bournemouth forward Dominic Solanke. They also added key players such as Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, and Lucas Bergvall. In total, the North London team has shelled out $165 million on new players so far this summer.
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