WHEN Clem Morfuni bought Swindon Town in the summer of 2021, he not only did so because he is a fan of the club and wanted to see it run properly and carefully, but also because of the significant potential it holds – both financially and physically.

According to an in-depth study conducted by BetVictor – in collaboration with football finance expert Dr Rob Wilson – Morfuni’s Swindon is currently the ninth most investable football club in the United Kingdom.

Over 100 British clubs were put under the microscope, with comprehensive data collected on each team as a part of the study.

The research considered everything from current infrastructure and stadium utilisation to digital presence and financial health, in order to identify the teams that make prime candidates for expansion and show would-be buyers where the greatest investment opportunities lie.

Scottish Championship sides Arbroath and Ayr United are the top two most-investable UK clubs, while Swindon’s near-neighbours Cheltenham Town came third on the list ahead of Crawley Town and Grimsby Town.

Stevenage, Carlisle United, and Exeter City slotted in ahead of Swindon, and Scottish Premiership outfit Livingston rounded off the top-10.

The rankings are calculated based on opportunity for growth in each area. This was determined using a weighted scoring model which combined several factors into a single score.

Digital footprint examines a club’s digital presence across social media and search engines. The score considers each club’s presence in different international markets, and the desirability and profitability of being in those territories.

Each team’s infrastructure was analysed too, considering stadium condition, training facilities, youth facilities, youth recruitment, corporate facilities, and transport links.

According to the research, improving youth training facilities was identified as the key area in which Swindon’s infrastructure would benefit the greatest from investment.

Town have already said they are aiming to enhance their academy while plans are well underway in terms of renovating and rebuilding parts of the County Ground.

Utilisation of stadium was another factor analysed – the researchers looked at a team’s stadium utilisation by assessing attendance levels, ticket sales, and ticket revenue.

BetVictor claim Swindon has ample room for growth when it comes to stadium utilisation, which means a high return on investment in this category if successfully scaled.

The final aspect of the research looked at each club’s financial health, assessing revenue, net assets, net profit, wage turnover ratio, and more.

Town ranked 41st for digital footprint, 21st for infrastructure, 28th for utilisation, and ninth for financials, seeing them to a total of 68 out of 100.

For further details on the study, click on this link.