Exeter City Top Fan Engagement Index But Premier League Clubs Must Do More

Exeter City Football Club has come top of the Fan Engagement Index for the seventh season in a row but Premier League clubs are warned they must do more to engage with fans.

Now in its seventh year, the Fan Engagement Index, compiled by Think Fan Engagement and LCP Sport Analytics, provides the only objective measurement of fan engagement in English men’s football.

Where did your club place? Find out at fanengagement.net/fan-engagement-index

Benchmarked against other clubs, the Index recognises and rewards 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.

League One club, 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.

Stressing the importance of supporter collaboration, Kevin Rye, creator of the Fan Engagement Index, says football clubs need to put more resources into fan engagement in the new era of the Independent Football Regulator.

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 made 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.”

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 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.”

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 a 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.”

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.