LCP’s Football Analytics team have been speaking on a series of panels to discuss the Sustainability Index, Fair Game’s proposal to create a new mechanism to financially reward well-run clubs and incentivise better governance and financial stability.

LCP were involved in helping Fair Game to develop this Index due to their in-depth understanding of football analytics and data and through their development of football scouting platform, TransferLab. The Sustainability Index was developed as a way to embed and operationalise some of the findings from Tracey Crouch’s recent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance

Fair Game, a group of 34 value-driven football clubs, works with its network of world-renowned experts to develop realistic long-term solutions to the problems faced by football in England and Wales.

The Sustainability Index looks at using new and existing revenue streams in football, such as the proposed Solidarity Transfer Levy and parachute payments, to incentivise clubs by distributing funds according to how well they score on four criteria.

The four pillars of sustainability, which are all heavily referenced throughout the Fan-Led Review, are

• Financial Sustainability
• Good Governance
• Equality Standards
• Fan and Community Engagement

Bart Huby, head of LCP’s Football Analytics team, took part in a panel concentrating on Financial Sustainability on 9 June. Chaired by The Athletic’s Matt Slater, the panel also included Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game and board member of the Dons Trust,  Jason Stockwood, owner and chairman of Grimsby Town, Alex Culvin, head of player relations at FIFPRO and academic at Leeds Beckett University, and Daniel Geey, partner at law-firm Sheridans.

Ashley Mould, LCP Consultant, will be on a panel on Thursday 16 June which will focus on Equality Standards and will be chaired by BBC South presenter Anjana Gadgil. Joining Ashley on the panel, will be Brian Deane, former England International and Sheffield United and Leeds United stalwart, Cathy Long, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Partnerships at Women In Sport, and Stuart Fuller, Chair of fan-owned Lewes FC, the world's first semi/professional club to treat its male and female players equally. You can register to listen to the panel here

Bart commented: “It was fascinating to be involved in a discussion with such a diverse group of people, all of whom are really keen that football in this country should take the opportunity presented by the Fan-Led review’s report to help put clubs many more onto a more sustainable financial basis.  If we don’t take it, there’s a real risk that when, as is inevitable at some point, football’s finances take a down-turn, there could be a domino effect with many clubs facing the kinds of problems that Derby Country are dealing with at this time.”

Ashley added: “In many ways, football in England is an impressively diverse and inclusive game, particularly compared with some other countries.  However, the degree to which diversity, equity and inclusion has been embraced varies substantially between different clubs.  The approach proposed by Fair Game to monitoring and measuring equality standards will incentivise and reward clubs for being progressive, and help clubs to meet some of the additional costs of implementing best practice.”