Every football fan has had the argument. You're in the pub, someone calls Man Utd vs Liverpool a derby, and the table erupts. "They're 30 miles apart!" "It's the biggest game in English football!" "That doesn't make it a derby."
This site exists to settle it.
Is It A Derby? is an independent project that scores every possible matchup between 177 English football clubs — from the Premier League down to National League North and South — to determine whether they qualify as a genuine local derby.
The Derby Score is pure geography: how far apart are the grounds, adjusted for league tier and club density. A National League club in rural Norfolk gets a wider definition of "local" than a Premier League club in central London, because context matters.
The Rivalry Score is separate — it measures historical depth based on head-to-head meetings, how recently they've played, and how far back the fixture goes. This means Liverpool vs Manchester United can score 5/100 on geography but 100/100 on history. Two different truths, both honest.
For the full breakdown, see How It Works.
All 177 clubs are from the 2025/26 season. Distances are calculated as straight-line (Haversine) between grounds. Head-to-head data is compiled from publicly available sources including historical football archives and club records.
If you spot an error or think we've missed something, send us a DM on X at @isitaderby.
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Is It A Derby? is a passion project, built and maintained independently. If you enjoy it, you can buy me a coffee.