Lincoln City have been named among England’s best-run clubs according to the Fair Game Index, a first-of-its-kind comprehensive survey of football governance.
The Fair Game Index rates each club for financial sustainability, good governance, equality standards and fan engagement – all measures set to come under the remit of football’s new independent regulator in 2025.
Lincoln achieved an overall score of 66.84, which was good enough for fifth among the 92 clubs and placed third within League One. City were one of only 10 clubs to be awarded the silver standard in the Index - the club scored particularly highly for equality, placing first in the nation.
Fair Game wants the new independent regulator to use the Index to put an end to football’s unfair financial flow. Clubs would receive a greater portion of the vast pie of television revenue the better they performed in the Index.
Imps chief executive Liam Scully said: “Everyone at the Imps can be proud of our placing in the Fair Game Index, especially coming top under the equality section of the analysis.
“We believe there is a better way forward for football and support some of the long-term fixes which were recommended in the Fan-Led Review could allow us to grow the game on a genuinely sustainable setting.”
Niall Couper, chief executive of Fair Game, added: “There will be a new regulator. There will be a new state of play survey for football. There will be new financial flow.
“The Fair Game Index paints a realistic picture of what our game could look like, a future where football chooses to reward well-run clubs.
“Fair Game are working hard with communities, experts, football interest groups, fans, clubs and politicians to transform this picture into reality. For the first time, the building blocks are in place.”
