WE promised we’d publish some feedback to an article published yesterday on The Celtic Star which was titled Time for the Celtic Family to Stand Up for the Champions.

Opinion – Time for the Celtic Family to Stand Up for the Champions…https://t.co/lH1fKheI2o @AICSC2014 @cscaffiliation @CelticFCSLO @CelticFC @csasocialclub

— The Celtic Star Editor (@CelticStarMag) April 21, 2020

Here’s a recap on our article before we get to the supporter comments…

Opinion – Time for the Celtic Family to Stand Up for the Champions

The Celtic family is going to have to come together and support our club…

We often write about Celtic’s history and the supporters throughout the generations that came before us, suffered hardship, lived though World Wars, a General Strike, the Miners Strike, the Troubles for those in the six counties, three day week, the banking crisis and much more. Celtic was always there. And it is our duty as Celtic supporters – forget what others say or don’t say – to make sure that Celtic is there for future generations.

For starters any idea of refunds for the games not played on the current season ticket should be set aside, if supporter finances allows of course. Family first, then Celtic….

Then we are going to have to look at renewing season tickets and possibly watching some of the games on Celtic TV as the new season could start behind closed doors.

Maybe testing could allow this to be less severe – ie you need to have been tested to get into the ground and can therefore prove you are Covid-19 free but make no mistake we need to get our heads around what we as a support are going to have to do to make sure we have Celtic to hand down to future generations of Celtic supporters.

Celtic has been well run and has money in the bank. But unlike the English Premier League clubs our biggest source of revenue comes via match day reviews and that means 50,000 season ticket sales.

In the ten-in-a-row season Celtic – in normal conditions – would easily have sold out the season tickets for next season. The waiting list was getting bigger and plenty renewed as soon as the renewals came out.

Coronavirus has changed all of that. Now as a support we need to do our bit – not just for the club chasing Ten-in-a-Row, but for the long term future of Celtic. If we renew in our tens of thousands and Celtic do their best to get us into the games – maybe rationing the games we get to so we all get to see roughly the same number – and make sure we get full access to Celtic TV for the rest – then the club will be in the best possible position post coronavirus.

You need to do this, I need to do it, we all (finances permitting) need to do it. And while other clubs will struggle to cope, Celtic will be fine. And in twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred years from now Celtic supporters will look back to the sacrifices that the Celtic support in 2020 made to make sure Celtic was safe and well.

The recent row about the SPFL voting is all a sideshow, entertaining though it has been, after Null and Void was defeated it became no more than comedy viewing for the Celtic support.

But for Celtic this crisis is serious and football is unlikely to ever return to the way it was. A media chap I know recently talked to me about the size of the audiences that Celtic has and noted that there in no club in the UK – not Liverpool or Manchester Utd or Arsenal or Chelsea – none of them – that has the size of audience that is out there for Celtic. In the new reality for football size of the audience each club can attract is going to be increasingly important and having Celtic involved is going to interest global media players.

Look at that BT Sport poll that voted the Lisbon Lions as the greatest team ahead of Barcelona – that wasn’t down to anything other than the huge Celtic support getting behind our heroes.

Soon it will be our time as the Celtic support to be the heroes ourselves. Our club needs us – the Celtic family – to stand up for the Champions. You up for it? I certain am. Come on you Bhoys in Green…

Celtic Star Editor

Supporter Feedback…

I totally agree with you. We true fans love our Celtic . Our predecessors all did us a favour in bringing us up  the Celtic way. What a joy it is to see the green and white, both on the pitch and in the supporters.

Great article as ever guys. Hope you’re all well.

What boils my head is the ridiculous rules and restrictions around broadcasting Celtic TV to paying supporters on match day. Say what…100…120…even 150 a year for all televised matches in HD along with the rest Celtic TV has to offer. Call me overly optimistic, but I reckon the revenue Celtic would get from UK based supporters alone would be insanely lucrative. 

I know every Celtic supporter  I speak to would happily invest in Celtic TV in a lawful way (if the option was available). And given the situation we’re in now with COVID-19, it makes more sense for the SPFL and broadcasters to adapt their approach to this.

If the game is on SKY then fine, block Celtic TV. But if its no scheduled for broadcast, why on earth would they stop Celtic from broadcasting it?

I am in complete agreement with your stance on the renewal of season tickets. I have recently renewed the tickets for myself and my daughters at no small expense. I consider that I am in a somewhat fortunate position to do so and would urge others that (as you said) family comes first and our support should only renew if they are in a sound position to do so.

Best regards to all our support

Neil Jordan

Hi, I grew up going to matches at the “old Celtic Park”, but now live near Birmingham, so obviously cannot attend many games! One thing I would like to see is all our home games broadcast live on Celtic TV. Currently, for contractual reasons, Celtic cannot show live matches within the UK and Ireland. Given the situation we have, where football will probably be played behind closed doors, surely any contractual obligations to Sky, BT etc, should be cancelled?

Basically, what I’m saying is, Celtic have a huge following around the UK and Ireland, who would love to watch live games at home, and be happy to pay for the privilege!

One possible method of bringing revenue into the club!

Cheers

Robert Lynch

I’m in the fortunate position I could probably take the hit by not asking for a refund. Also going to renew 2 tickets. I do feel Celtic need to give some guidance support and clarity on this albeit under difficult circumstances. E.g. is there a commitment to pay back the fans over the next 5 years for example through reduced ticket prices or free subscriptions? We need the fans to support the team but the club need to be in this with us. Nothing will ever be the same after this. Scottish football is currently debating all the wrong issues and we as a club need to be more involved and influencing the narrative. If we don’t the reconstructed leagues will be 2 leagues of 12.

David Brown

When we finally get back to what will be new normality, with football taking place. The Celtic Star is correct on planning for how as Celtic supporters we see our games. I think it is widely acknowledged these games will start behind closed doors, this is something we will have to accept and whether it will be broadcast solely by club TV or Sky. We as supporters must support Celtic TV in this market both as a viewing platform but also revenue for our club, rightly this could be included as part of a season book renewal.

I feel it will be some time before supporters will be allowed back into grounds for numerous reasons which seem to escape discussions we hear in newspapers and media, there will be an estimated 4million unemployed and the vast amount employed on low wages with thousands of business not surviving what will be a tough economic climate.

We will also have league reconstruction and not for the reasons debated just now but as a large number of clubs will not survive this pandemic. Costs will figure highly when we plan how to see our club whether it be for season tickets or subscriptions to view on TV, as for attending remember it’s not just social distancing within grounds, we have a support that travels to games from every part of the country which will be affected by travel restrictions both to attend home but away games. We then have the emergency services that are required to be in attendance at games. Remember Celtic is not the only club that will face this, do we see the Country coping with the number required. So while planning is needed I think it will be 12 to 18 month before we see a new reality and not the dates absurdly suggested just now.

Jim McCallum

Renewed already, don’t expect refunds, lifetime commitment.

Dante

Hi, as for season tickets next season, if the social distance is to happen and there is to be 4 empty seats beside you and Celtic Park attendance is reduced to say 10000, I think the Celtic supporters would be happy to have a third of a season each, 7 games at the start, middle or last 7 games, whatever you get in a ballot, this would let all the season ticket holders see Celtic at some point of the season.

John Hume

I have already purchased my season book for next season, I do it every year the day the renewal starts, for me and my son. Not a thought has come into my head about missing games and wanting it back. People are dying all over and I see what my club is doing through themselves and also the fans that are helping in every way possible, what I would like to see is that any cash from this seasons missed games could possibly go to extra tickets for the Kano Foundation in the future for at least a season or two. Brian, Pat and Joe and the rest of the Kano Foundation do a fantastic job.

William Wallace
Section 115 (behind the kano seats)

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