It would be unfair to put all of the blame on Sadiku though.
Elena Sadiku at Ibrox. theRangers v Celtic FC Women, 14 November 2025. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)
There is clearly a lack of funding, with the manager even speaking out publicly on occasion, stating how other SWPL1 teams are receiving more investment and it’s becoming tougher league with Celtic unable to compete financially with the likes of Glasgow City, theRangers and the two Edinburgh sides. This is true, because other sides are getting stronger, but some would argue that Celtic are staying in a similar position.
Some context on the funding situation of the three Glasgow sides. As a club with only a women’s team Glasgow City’s funding comes via an association with a global reach merchant bank. If financial FairPlay was a factor in the women’s game they’d disappear in a puff of smoke. Over at Ibrox the funding, as we understand it, comes from the club via a large annual sum from a wealthy benefactor, so theRangers don’t seem to fund most if not all the costs of their women’s team.
Clarisa Larisey. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)
And at Celtic the club lives hand to mouth on the revenue created by sponsorship deals, ticket revenue and transfer fees received. For instance Celtic received good money for the Clarisa Larisey transfer to Swedish side Hacken, compensation when Fran Alonso left to manage Houston Dash and a decent fee for Caitlin Hayes from Brighton. Maintaining this will be challenging going forward as the team struggles and momentum is lost. Fran Alonso created a real buzz about his side and in every season at Celtic he took the team to the last day of the season and won both the League Cup and the Scottish Cup.
Celtic FC Manager, Fran Alonso stands alongside the Womens Scottish Cup during the Scottish Women’s Cup Press Conference at Glasgow Women’s Library on 24 May 2023.
Winning the league in 2024 got Celtic into the Champions route playoffs for the Champions League and unlike the Bhoys, Sadiku was able to win some tough qualifiers to get through to the group stages, where Celtic collected no points but were never embarrassed and collected the minimum UEFA payments of around £400,000.
That’s gone this time around and the squad’s wage bill has been lowered as a result. The Celtic bench at Ibrox was packed with Academy players as there is no strength in depth so while others all strengthen Celtic cut its cloth to fit in a world class sort of way. They have created a women’s team that is self sufficient but it’s now her deceasing circles and that can’t be blamed on the Head Coach alone.
Celtic FC Women celebrate their first ever SWPL1 title win at Celtic Park in May 2024. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)
Having lost the title on goal difference the season before he set about maximising the goals for column the following season and by the time he left in Christmas 2023 his team had a huge lead that would ultimate deliver the title for Elena Sadiku, something she didn’t want to acknowledge amid the title winning celebrations.
