The latest Fan Engagement Index for the 2021/2022 season has been released today, with Swindon Town the biggest risers of the 92 clubs across England’s top four divisions.
The milestone sees them move off the bottom of the standings and up 72 places to twentieth overall after posting an impressive 100-points in the most recent study.
Fan Engagement works with clubs, brands and other organisations to understand supporters and the relationships they have with their clubs, producing a detailed league table each year.
The first Fan Engagement Index was published for the 2018/2019 season, and scores clubs in the top four divisions of English Football using publicly available data on their dialogue, governance and transparency with supporters.
The overriding aim is to ensure clubs are taking fan engagement more seriously and placing their faithful followers at the heart of everything they do.
A number of EFL clubs have recorded significant improvements this year with The Robins the main headline makers thanks to various initiatives introduced and key decisions made over the past 12-months where fans have been asked for feedback.
The owner of Think Fan Engagement, Kevin Rye, said, “The Fan Engagement Index was created as a positive way to make clubs take fan engagement more seriously, with an ambition to place it at the centre of everything they do.
“I’m not convinced we’re there yet, as can be seen by too many clubs still not - publicly at least - meeting fairly basic standards of engagement with their fans.
“But we know huge change is possible. You only have to look at Swindon Town under Clem Morfuni and Rob Angus to see it can be done.
“It’s not a matter of size, it’s a matter of willingness. They chose to embrace fan engagement at the heart of their business model, and it’s paying off.”
Town Chief Executive, Rob Angus, added: “We’re really pleased with the progress we’ve made on fan engagement since Clem took over the club.
“With our Advisory Board a key cornerstone of our ongoing communication with our supporters and the joint purchase of our stadium with fans on the horizon, we’re excited to be continuing to work closely together and improving engagement going forwards.”
The full table for 2021/2022, including biggest risers and fallers, can be accessed at www.fanengagement.net and www.fanengagement.net/fan-engagement-hub
