Arsenal ranked only 66th in English football fan engagement index as clubs warned against ‘box ticking’

Arsenal have been ranked only 66th among English football clubs for fan engagement despite winning the Premier League last season, according to the latest Fan Engagement Index.

The Gunners scored 85 points out of a possible 240 in the 2026 edition of the index, which assesses clubs across three areas: dialogue with supporters, governance and transparency.

Arsenal’s score was significantly below the leading clubs, with Exeter City topping the overall rankings on 230 points, just five ahead of Lincoln City.

Five Premier League clubs were among the 26 clubs to receive Gold, Silver, Bronze or Merit recognition in this year’s index.

Brentford were the highest-ranked Premier League club in 10th place overall with 165 points, level with Everton.

Brighton & Hove Albion were 14th on 155, Chelsea 16th on 150 and Fulham 21st on 145.

Liverpool were 27th on 135, Manchester United 29th on 130 and Nottingham Forest 32nd on 125, while Manchester City were down in 84th with 70 points.

Tottenham were 75th with 80 points.

The results come as football moves towards the full implementation of the Independent Football Regulator, with Think Fan Engagement warning that clubs must ensure supporter consultation has a genuine influence on decision-making rather than simply becoming a procedural exercise.

Kevin Rye, from Think Fan Engagement, said the increasing number of clubs receiving awards was encouraging but warned that the quality of engagement was still inconsistent.

“The Independent Football Regulator is beginning to bite,” Rye said.

“However, it is clear that ‘box ticking’ is still too real at many clubs.”

The Fan Engagement Index is based entirely on publicly available information rather than surveys of supporters. Think Fan Engagement says it deliberately does not initially contact clubs, instead attempting to assess the information available to fans through club, league and other public sources. Clubs are subsequently given the opportunity to comment on the information collected.

The index awards a maximum of 80 points in each of its three categories: dialogue, governance and transparency.

Arsenal’s 85 points consisted of 40 for dialogue, 35 for governance and only 10 for transparency.

That placed them below 12 Premier League clubs and only 19 points ahead of Manchester City.

Rye believes the issue is not simply whether clubs consult supporters but whether the information they receive actually changes decisions.

“Clubs must now change not just how they make those decisions, but in many cases, the actual decisions themselves,” he said.

He argued that supporters and fan-engagement staff can provide expertise that clubs risk ignoring at their peril.

“Clubs have access to experience and knowledge from fans that can help to spot problems before they occur,” Rye said.

The findings also highlight a substantial divide between clubs at the top and bottom of the English game.

Southend United and Rochdale were the highest-ranked National League Premier clubs, finishing 15th and 13th respectively, while Hartlepool United and Boston United both received Merit awards after making significant improvements on their previous scores.

However, nine National League Premier clubs recorded zero points across the index.

Rye believes that disparity will become increasingly important as regulation expands.

“Most National League Premier clubs need to seriously up their game,” he said, although he suggested that a lack of resources rather than an unwillingness to engage may explain some of the shortcomings.