Our club, our history, our values, our success

Celebrate our Celtic values and history and make a vital difference to those who need us…

A couple of months ago I accepted an invitation to join the Celtic FC Foundation Supporters’ Committee, a group of volunteers who work closely with the club’s Foundation to support the delivery of key projects as well as plan and deliver some initiatives of their own.

The recent bucket collection outside Celtic Park ahead of the match with Motherwell was one example of our involvement but perhaps the most ambitious of those committee-led initiatives is the annual fundraising dinner party, the next of which will take place on Saturday, 23 March 2024 in the luxurious Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow, adjacent to The Hydro.

Tickets for this prestigious event – which last year raised more than £20,000 for Celtic FC Foundation – are selling fast, but you still have a few days to snap up an early bird bargain, at £60 per ticket or £600 for a table of 10. That offer will conclude this Friday, 8 December 2023, following which the prices will be £67 (of course!) and £670 respectively.

Tickets for this uniquely-Celtic event can be purchased HERE.

This will be the third such annual event, the first one built around a theme of Celtic in Europe and last year being a party celebrating the biggest continental footballing supporter exodus in history, Seville – The Celtic Way. So how do you follow that?

Well, how about a walk back in time to honour those who gave us the club we love today and who then thrilled the Celtic support for the first half-century of our being, a history laden with incredible events, fabulous characters and unique silverware which we revere to this day.

Here’s a wee taster of what you can expect…

OUR FOUNDATION: THE CELTIC WAY

If you know your history…

In the autumn of 1887, a group of well-intentioned individuals, mainly of Irish origin, sought a means to alleviate the extreme poverty faced by many families in the east end of Glasgow. The fruits of their efforts would be a football club, to be known as Celtic, its very name intended to build a bridge between the native Scots and the immigrant Irish, and a club which would be open to all from the outset, irrespective of background.

More than 135 years later, Celtic Football Club still stands as a monument to those values, having thrilled the descendants of those early volunteers, decade after decade, by playing football The Glasgow Celtic Way, and by continuing to care for those most in need of our support.

That combination of skill and principles has established Celtic as a worldwide phenomenon, a huge part of everyday life for folk in every part of the globe and in all circumstances, “A reason for living the other six days of the week,” as someone once memorably described it.

Many of those who dreamed of and then delivered Celtic are revered to this day, with two names perhaps more prominent than others. Brother Walfrid, the Sligo-born teacher whose tenure at the club was surprisingly brief but who was fundamental in the birth and spirit of Celtic.

And Willie Maley, who played in our first-ever match then devoted the next five decades of his life to ensuring those values were manifest in those who wore our colours. They gave us the gift of Celtic, now you can step back in time with us and celebrate Walfrid’s dream and Willie Maley’s glory at Our Foundation: The Celtic Way, our fundraising dinner party which will take place on Saturday, 23 March 2024 in the Crowne Plaza hotel, Glasgow.

Join us as we recall and honour the core principles established by Brother Walfrid and our Founding Fathers, that devotion to helping those most vulnerable in our communities which sets us apart as more than a football club…

…and as we relive and celebrate the incredible 52-year career of Willie Maley, our first and longest-serving manager, the Newry man tasked with setting the standards both on and off the pitch for the long and unbroken history which would follow…bringing some great names to the game to play football the Glasgow Celtic way!

We honour many of those heroes of our early history, those who wore the Stripes or the Hoops with distinction…such as Quinn, Gallacher, Thomson, McGrory and Delaney. The names roll off the tongue.

And what about the party itself?

You will enjoy a delicious three-course meal, live entertainment from The Wakes, party games, auction and raffle and some very special surprises! You will also have the opportunity to enter our fantastic prize draw.

This is our club. This is our history. These are our values. This is our success.

This IS the Celtic Way!

Your magnificent support will assist Celtic FC Foundation to honour Brother Walfrid’s wish and make a difference to so many vulnerable children, young people and adults through its project delivery today.

Fellow Committee member Steph Drew and I recently spoke with Tino at The Celtic Exchange podcast to discuss the event, the committee’s role and the fabulous work carried out in our name by Celtic FC Foundation. Have a listen to this to find out for yourself what we’re trying to do and then snap up your tickets for one of the great nights in the Celtic supporters’ calendar.