Wigan Athletic ranked second in 'most investable club' report

Wigan Athletic have been ranked as the second most investable Championship club by a new report.
Wigan Athletic's DW StadiumWigan Athletic's DW Stadium
Wigan Athletic's DW Stadium

BetVictor's latest academic study, Football Takeovers, covers everything to be considered before investing in a football club, covering over 100 teams across six UK leagues, from the Premier League to the Scottish Championship.

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Partnering with Dr Rob Wilson of Sheffield Hallam University, who specialises in the finance, economics, and governance of sports teams, BetVictor have been able to measure the potential viability for a potential investment or buyout considering financial viability, sporting merit, digital footprint, and local indices. They have also compared each club’s commercial potential for hypothetical buyers.

The BetVictor reportThe BetVictor report
The BetVictor report
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Taking a look a closer look at the teams in the Championship, the data from the study reveals the most investable clubs from this league:

* Coventry is the number one club from the Championship in the study, the ranking algorithm. The midlands side rank high for utilisation, if they put their 32,000-seater stadium to better use, they would see a lot more revenue. They also rank high across the board for financials and infrastructure, meaning for a smaller investment they could return a great profit.

* Latics rank second in the list of Championship sides, having rated high for financial opportunities and for infrastructure. The report claims that, with a strong fanbase already, Latics could see a return to success with the right investments.

* Luton come in third, ranking very high for infrastructure and, with a bigger stadium set to be coming soon, the club will have a great opportunity to grow and bring in more revenue.

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Using the data from the study, the top three most investable clubs in the UK are:

* Arbroath - Scottish Championship: Formed in 1878, 10th oldest side in Scotland, Arbroath represent the best potential investment opportunity out of the 114 clubs analysed in this model. The clubs ranks first for digital footprint and infrastructure and fourth in utilisation. its circumstances represent an interesting proposition for a would-be owner; their degrading infrastructure and lack of stadium utilisation could offer steady returns if properly managed at a cut rate price.

* Cheltenham - League 1: Moving further south, League 1’s Cheltenham Town are club with one of the healthiest wages to turnover percentages in the entire pyramid, and a utilisation score that places them in the bottom 22 per cent of clubs for stadium utilisation, suggesting that future revenues could rise further with the right strategy. Last season’s promotion shows a club on the rise, on and off the field.

* Grimsby - National League: Despite falling into the National League, Grimsby Town boast of the biggest fanbases across both their present division and League 2. Their recent fall has not stopped a hardcore fanbase following their side up and down the country. Their present-day infrastructure requires a large upheaval, but a potential investor could use that aspect to pick an outfit that boasts a loyal, regional fanbase ripe for growth at a fairly low investment.

See the full study here