Polska No.1 CSC – Lisbon Lion John Clark’s helping hand…
Founded in 2002 by a group of Celtic fans from Poland. One of them had met John Clark one day, and he thanked John for everything he had done for Celtic. John replied to him that, as Celtic fans from Poland, they can also do something for Celtic, so why don’t they start a CSC?
After such a recommendation, they knew what they had to do. At the beginning, they were thinking about calling their club John Clark Poland CSC, but because there was already a CSC with his name as a patron, they chose Polska No.1 CSC.
In 2022, they celebrated their 20th anniversary. A lot of people call them Polish Bhoys. Due to the size of Poland, they do not have one specific place where they are based as they have members all over Poland.
In 2004, when Poland became part of the EU and their citizens did not require a visa to live and work in the UK, a few of them moved to Scotland and it was then easy for them to attend Celtic games every week. They have a few season tickets in the 442 area, where they also put their banners.
One of their memorable European trips they like to go back to was the Teplice game in 2004. They travelled by bus from Poland to Prague and then took the train to Teplice. They met a Celtic fan from Scotland, and he told them that Celtic would be training at the Teplice stadium the night before the game.
They went to training, but security refused to let them in because Celtic told them they wanted to train behind closed doors. They were standing there when the Celtic team bus arrived, and someone spotted them and came to speak to them, and it was, yes, John Clark.
They told him who they were, and then he told security that they were part of the team. Greg Karwowski and his friend grabbed training gear off the bus and, together with Shaun Maloney, took it inside the stadium.
John told them to sit on the bench so they could watch the training closely. Martin O’Neill walked in, looked at them, and asked John who they were. John explained everything to him, and then Martin called Bobo Balde and Henrik over so they could take photos with them.
Their aim is to help Celtic fans from Poland discover the fantastic history of the club, show them what Celtic is all about, and encourage them to attend games. The history of Celtic is very important to them, and they are trying to take part in as many charity events as possible. They have also organised a few themselves.
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!
🍀Must-have Xmas stocking filler! More chat on YT🍀
🍀A Celtic World – It really is! Come and join us🍀#celticfc #celticsupporters @celticbars pic.twitter.com/29GWKeyYwr— A Celtic World (@ACelticWorld) November 17, 2023
