Lancashire football clubs ranked on the fairness index - including Burnley, Blackpool and Preston North End

A number of different football teams in Lancashire have been ranked in a new index of fairness in football.

Fair Game – a campaign group working to improve how football is governed – said the sport is ‘far from perfect’ but sees the potential for improvement with the likely introduction of a football regulator.

The organisation has put together a fairness index for football, drawing on over 220 data sources covering club finances, commitment to equality, fan engagement, and governance in England's top leagues.

Lancashire teams ranked:

• Burnley scored 48.3 out of 100 on the index – putting it 13th of all clubs in the Premier League last season and 29th across all the clubs in the top seven divisions.

• Preston North End scored 47.3 out of 100 on the index – putting it eighth of all clubs in the Championship last season and 34th overall.

• Blackburn Rovers scored 44.8 out of 100 on the index – putting it 11th of all clubs in the Championship last season and 44th overall.

• Blackpool scored 41.3 out of 100 on the index – putting it 11th of all clubs in League 1 last season and 57th overall.

• Accrington Stanley scored 30.1 out of 100 on the index – putting it 17th of all clubs in League 2 last season and 91st overall.

• Fleetwood Town scored 29.7 out of 100 on the index – putting it 20th of all clubs in League 1 last season and 92nd overall.

Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, said: "Football is far from perfect but with the likelihood of an incoming football regulator there is a real chance to change it for the better.

"To deliver real and meaningful change we need to understand the problems."

"In short, football in England needs a truly independent regulator that can oversee good governance, reshape football's financial flow, and ensure issues around equality and ethics get the support and respect they deserve."

Greg Campbell, partner at Campbell Tickell and leading expert on regulative practices in the UK, said: "From my experience working in different sectors, the reality is that, however well-intentioned, self-regulation such as we have in football now, doesn't work.

"So, as we move towards the establishment of an independent regulator, there's clear learning from the Index for that regulator, once established, to examine.”

The DCMS said it will establish a new Independent Football Regulator to tackle governance problems, empower fans, and protect the sustainability of the sport for local communities.