Celtic supporters have received a boost from National Clinical Director Professor Jason Leitch, who today said that there will be fans in the stands next season. The fans haven’t been in Paradise for over a year, with a win over St Mirren on March 7th 2020 the last time the turnstiles were in operation. However, Professor Leitch told BBC Off the Ball that there would be fans in the grounds next season, starting with the Euros in the summer but said that he couldn’t say how many fans could return at this stage.
“They are both outdoors, the football and the TRNSMT festival, they are both manageable, you control the crowds, you can control the queues, all of that.
“I’m just not sure if it will look like we hope it looks, that the stadia are full and the TRNSMT festival has it’s normal thousands and thousands of people.
“I can’t know for sure yet what distancing, what restrictions there will be in July and then in September.
“Of course, the trick though, and this is the important public health message, the trick is the way to get them normal is to get incidents down in March.
“Everything is about driving the incidents down now by following the restrictions. Not pushing the boundaries, not trying to find ways to move beyond what you are allowed.
“And that then makes the July season tickets more likely and the TRNSMT festival more likely.”
This is a timely boost for the club as well as the support, offering light at the end of the tunnel and a return to the grounds. With season ticket renewals approaching, fans will be more inclined to renew if they have an idea when they will be back to games after a campaign of watching on TV.
With a large proportion of the population already vaccinated, Celtic fans can take hope in a return to the stadium as well as a future capacity crowd being not too far away with a return for a large amount being likely in July. Leitch’s comments may be perceived as being negative but they are quite positive from an individual that has often exercised extreme caution.
Celtic need to nail the appointment of a new manager and get the season ticket sales registered. Games need to be trialled soon in order to determine how the return to stadia will look but all-in-all, this is good news from Professor Leitch and is something to look forward to.
