Fan Engagement Index 24/25 underlines importance of supporter collaboration as new Football Regulator nears

Football clubs need to put more resources in to fan engagement in the new era of the Independent Football Regulator – according to Kevin Rye, creator of the seventh Fan Engagement Index which has been launched recently.

While Fan Advisory Boards are now a mandatory part of the infrastructure at Premier League clubs, more needs to be done to ensure fan voices are listened to and that clubs are held accountable.

Only three Premier League clubs make the Fan Engagement Index top 20, with Everton, Brighton and Brentford recognised for their commitment to involving fans. Manchester United earned a Merit award, finishing 22nd.

Kevin Rye said: “Now more than ever, clubs across the football pyramid need to do more to engage with their most important stakeholders – the fans – to ensure that there is an understanding and adherence to their strategy, their culture and their mission.

“We have seen that English football is now a global phenomenon right the way down to the National League and the clubs that do well invest in engagement with consistent commitment from staff, owners and fans across the country to make it work.

“The Fan Engagement Index has already massively impacted the activities and increasingly, the culture of football in this area, but there is still so much more to do. It is not longer a ‘nice to have’ and we’ve already worked with a number of clubs who are keen to improve in this vital area.”

Now in its seventh year, the Fan Engagement Index provides the only objective measurement of fan engagement in English men’s football, benchmarked against other clubs, recognising and rewarding clubs that practise good fan engagement, and helping them to identify where they could improve. From this year it now covers the National League Premier Division.

Exeter City lead the way with their seventh first-placed finish, with Carlisle United and Lincoln City joining them in winning a Gold award. Silver awards go to AFC Wimbledon, Norwich City, Cambridge United, Doncaster Rovers and Swansea City while Bronze awards go to a dozen clubs.

Everton were recognised for their outstanding progress in engagement which sets them apart from most of their rivals against a backdrop of new owners and the move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium from their beloved Goodison Park.

Everton Chief Executive Angus Kinnear said: “A club is strongest when it listens, involves and evolves alongside its supporters. From helping shape the matchday experience to major moments like planning for and moving into our new stadium, our fans have contributed and participated, both through our regular meetings with formal fan representative groups, and through the feedback we gather from across our fanbase via regular surveys.

“Actively engaging with supporters will remain at the heart of our ethos as we move forward at Hill Dickinson Stadium, our new home which has been shaped by our fans to reflect
their passion, pride and place at the centre of our Club’s story.”

Swansea City were the highest-placed Championship club and amongst other things have, since 2003, had a position of Supporter-Director that helps to underpin much of their approach to operating the club. The work of their fan engagement team also successfully ensures that they listen across the club, so that fans across the board are involved in helping to shape how the club acts and what it offers.

Tom Gorringe, Swansea City CEO, said: “At Swansea City we believe fan engagement is about building tangible connections with supporters in an authentic way. Community engagement and togetherness is a key part of our club’s DNA and the Fan Engagement Index digs much deeper giving insight into how we engage supporters on strategic level.

“The Fan Engagement Index also marks us on what is visible to supporters acting as a valuable sounding board on where we can be more transparent and make improvements that benefit supporters. The work Kevin does in compiling the Fan Engagement Index, is admirable, creating a valuable resource for us and clubs up and down the country to see how we fair in all of the areas that matter the most to supporters.”

Norwich City are another club who have consistently ensured the voice of supporters is placed at the heart of what they do, through a supporter advisory board, work with the Canaries Supporters Trust, and active and daily work with fans.

Elliot King, Norwich City’s Head of Supporter Engagement & Public Affairs, commented: “We are delighted to have been recognised again in Think Fan Engagement’s Fan Engagement Index. While there have been heightened conversations at a national level around fan engagement – particularly with the introduction of the new Regulator – this is not something new for us and is something we have been doing for a number of years.

“For us, fan engagement isn’t about ticking boxes, it is about sound and transparent structures. It is also about consistency and creating a culture of openness with our supporters on the issues that matter most to them, which in turn makes for better decision making for the club, its fans and the wider community.”

This year, Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP) supported Think Fan Engagement by analysing overall trends over the past seven years, and also looking in particular at clubs which have excelled throughout or upped their game significantly over the period.

David Millar, Head of Fan Engagement at LCP, said: “Interestingly, a high or improving score doesn’t appear to correlate with spending power. We believe that the most significant correlation will be with engagement by the Board.

“Clubs who make open and honest communication with fans a strategic boardroom priority tend to do far better when it comes to Fan Engagement, demonstrating that doing the right thing by your fans is achievable if considered important. We look forward to seeing the fan engagement and consultation provisions in the Football Governance Act bring this into still greater focus across all of these clubs.”

For the first time, the National League top division has been included, and Southend United, who missed out in the play-off final at the end of last season, have been recognised for the great work that they have done over the past year.