Coventry Emerald CSC…
The city of Coventry has a long history of Celtic supporters, due to its large Irish population. In 1961, there were 20,000 Irish-born residents of Coventry, according to the census. Through the years, there have been various CSCs in the city.
Coventry Emerald CSC was formerly known as Coventry Irish CSC and was originally based out of Flannelly’s Bar on the Holyhead Road. Not much is known about the CSC prior to the renaming as a lot of the people involved have changed over the years; however, they know that early meetings in Coventry were held in either the Polish Club or in Finbars.
The main pubs used in Glasgow at the time were the Heilan Jessie and The Squirrel. They also know that the Coventry Irish CSC was the only CSC in Coventry to maintain transport to every Celtic home game. However, travelling numbers had dwindled, and there was a desire to rekindle interest among Coventry-based Celtic supporters.
The members discussed a change of club name, and on 24 September, 2011, they agreed to the suggestion of Coventry Emerald CSC. In the early days, it was a small band of regulars attending games by minibus, but soon they made some lasting friendships with other CSCs south of the border and started to grow.
The advance guard has arrived in Rome! And it looks like @MikeyL1888 continues to struggle to hold his drink! pic.twitter.com/qiTdD6Qodm
— Coventry Emerald CSC (@CovEmeraldCSC) November 27, 2023
For the last six years, the CSC has owned its own minibus and has been running travel to almost all domestic games, while a number of their members have been travelling regularly in Europe too. The days of the minibus are numbered, however, as their membership now stands at over 130 and they are regularly running a 50-seater coach to weekend home games and matches at Hampden, in addition to nine-seaters or cars for away games, due to ticket allocations.
They are the only CSC in the West Midlands that runs regular travel to games. In 2018, the CSC thanked Flannelly’s for their support and entered a new partnership with the Four Provinces on Allesley Road, which has helped the CSC grow and provide a regular home to watch all Celtic matches.
Absolute joke getting in here tonight!!! pic.twitter.com/jqV3hXZWSB
— Coventry Emerald CSC (@CovEmeraldCSC) November 28, 2023
Alex and his team have been supportive, and there are regular live bands on too for like-minded people to enjoy. In 2011, they formed a partnership with Norton’s of Digbeth, as Birmingham lacks a venue close to the city centre to watch games.
Meanwhile, their membership outside of Coventry has been growing, with a steady group being picked up in Digbeth en route to Celtic Park, as well as a few other locations on the way up the road. This partnership with Norton’s is still in its infancy, and they hope to build a strong base for Birmingham-based Celts and visitors alike to watch games.
FOOTBALL WITHOUT FANS – THE HISTORY OF CELTIC SUPPORTERS CLUBS – RESEARCHED & COMPILED BY DAVID McINTYRE from Celticbars.com…
From Paisley to Papua New Guinea, The Gorbals to The Bronx, Celtic Supporters Clubs are renowned the world over. The only difference between the brake club pioneers of the late 1880s and the present-day CSCs is the mode of transport. The passion, dedication, hopes and dreams of the fans has never changed. The pride of belonging to a cause they believe in has made them the lifeblood of Celtic FC.
Delve into what our forefathers got up to, from the horse and carts, motorised charabancs, war years, the highs of Lisbon to the histories of over 400 CSCs. Every supporters club has a story to tell. This book brings them to life with some remarkable tales of heroism, prejudice, inventiveness, charity, mayhem and humour.
This book is by the fans, about the fans, for the fans and is out now.
David McIntyre’s book Football Without Fans – The History of Celtic Supporters Clubs is out now and available in print and kindle versions HERE. Watch the video in the Celtic World tweet below for some amazing facts on the Celtic support around the world.
𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐬 – Intro with video – Celtic’s worldwide fanbase!
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🍀A Celtic World – It really is! Come and join us🍀#celticfc #celticsupporters @celticbars pic.twitter.com/29GWKeyYwr— A Celtic World (@ACelticWorld) November 17, 2023
READ THIS…Photo Exclusive – A Celtic training session at Barrowfield in mid-1970s
