Middlesbrough's infrastructure voted best in the Championship

It's around this time of year that you'll hear the words: "The facilities here are amazing," trotted out again and again, up and down the country in club inveiling videos for new signings. In Middlesbrough's case though, they're actually telling the truth - so say the experts.

Boro's infrastructure is the best in the Championship, according to a new expert study. Boro came out on top as each club were given an infrastructure rating based on a number of factors. Each club was rated based on stadium capacity, stadium condition, training facilities, youth facilities, youth recruitment, corporate facilities, and transport links to provide a single score for each club out of 100 based on the quality of a club’s overall infrastructure.

With a really impressive score of 95.53 out of 100, Boro came out on top in the English second tier, pipping Watford in second, and Stoke City in third, with Boro one of only six clubs in the Championship to score over 90.

Combination of issues lead to low away attendances at Boro

The study was carried out by Betvictor, in partnership with Football finance expert Dr Rob Wilson of Sheffield Hallam University. Dr Wilson specialises in the finance, economics, and governance of professional sports teams.

The study found that Boro, Sunderland and Watford had the best training facilities in the division, with Rockliffe a huge asset to the football club and having been used only last summer by the England national team as part of their preparations for the European Championships.

Meanwhile, they were one of the top sides for youth recruitment too, alongside Watford, Blackburn Rovers, and Sheffield United. That score was based on scouting resource, current quality of their youth talent, and youth