Hibernian have been ranked as one of the best-run clubs in Britain, according to a new study by Fair Game, with six other Scottish Premiership teams joining David Gray's side in the UK top ten.

Self-described as the 'most comprehensive survey of men’s professional football in England and Scotland', the survey scrutinised every club in the Premier League, English Football League, National League, and National League North and National League South, as well as the four SPFL divisions and graded teams on four criteria: Financial sustainability, good governance, fan engagement, and equality and ethical standards.

According to the report, Celtic topped four of the five categories in Scotland, and three out of five in the overall study, scoring highest for financial sustainability, good governance, and equality and ethical standards. Hibs topped the fan and community engagement category.  

Read more:

Clubs are graded out of 40 for financial sustainability, out of 30 for good governance, out of 20 for equality and ethical standards, and out of ten for fan engagement. While Hibs scored 8.3 out of ten for fan engagement, and 20.2 out of 30 for governance, their grade for financial sustainability of 27.6 out of 40 was the second-lowest of the top ten, with only Rangers (24.4) scoring lower, and Championship sides Partick Thistle and Queen's Park scoring higher. Hibs scored 7.0 out of 20 in the equality and ethical standards criterion. 

But, their overall score placed them third in Scotland and fifth in the overall UK rankings, tucked in behind Manchester United and narrowly ahead of Aberdeen and St Mirren. Scotland had seven clubs in the UK top ten with Motherwell and Kilmarnock also making the grade. The only English representatives were Tottenham Hotspur, who came second behind Celtic, Manchester United, and Cambridge United, who placed 

Set up in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic by a group of lower-league clubs in England 'hoping to change the game we love for the better', Fair Game wants greater transparency, redistribution of parachute payments, and to end the culture of gambling. 

According to Fair Game, the data used to compile the Index comes from publicly available sources 'for reasons of full transparency'. 

Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, said: "This is the most comprehensive analysis yet of what it means to be a well-run club. The results are pretty clear: Scottish football is better run than English football. 

“With a large number of clubs either being PLCs or fan-owned, the nation has developed a healthy culture of good governance and transparency. However, there is no room for complacency. When it comes to equality and ethical standards the results are disappointing to say the least – only Celtic managing to get over half marks.

“What is important, is the Scottish football authorities have the chance to learn from England, not repeat their mistakes, and build a stronger future for the game north of the border. We will be launching Fair Game Scotland in the next few weeks to campaign for a fairer future for football in Scotland."