Celtic Football Club, commonly referred to as Celtic or simply The Hoops, is one of the most prominent and successful football clubs in Scotland. Founded in 1887, the club is based in Parkhead, Glasgow, Scotland, and plays its home matches at the renowned Celtic Park, which has a seating capacity of over 60,000.
Celtic has a rich history, boasting 51 Scottish league titles, 40 Scottish Cups, 19 Scottish League Cups, and 1 UEFA Champions League title. The club enjoyed its most successful era under legendary manager Jock Stein, who led Celtic to 9 consecutive Scottish league titles and a European Cup victory in 1967, making them the first British team to win the prestigious tournament.
Known for its attacking style of play, the club has nurtured some of football’s greatest talents, including Jimmy Johnstone, Henrik Larsson, Kenny Dalglish, and Paul McStay. Despite recent challenges and inconsistent performances, Celtic remains one of the most valuable football clubs in Scotland, with a global fan base and a rich tradition that continues to influence Scottish and world football.
Celtic FC is one of the most popular football clubs in the world, with one of the highest average home attendances in Europe. The club states that its worldwide fan base includes more than 160 officially recognised branches of the Celtic FC Supporters Club (CFSC), in at least 20 countries. The club takes advantage of this support through its worldwide summer tours. Accountancy firm and sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that Celtic FC has 9 million fans worldwide. The club has the third highest social media following in Scotland among sports teams, with over 2 million Facebook followers as of July 2023. A 2014 study showed that Celtic FC had the loudest fans in the Scottish Premier League.
Celtic FC was formed in 1888 as a means of raising funds for the Poor Children's Dinner Table charity. The team initially played games against other local teams, but on 28 May 1888, they competed in their first recorded match; wearing the colours of the charity—green and white—they won 5–2 against Rangers FC.
In March 1965, the appointment of Jock Stein as manager led to a period of significant success for the club. He demanded an unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers, and training sessions. Stein led the team to nine consecutive Scottish League championships between 1966 and 1974, as well as winning the European Cup in 1967. In 1974, the club won the Scottish Cup, their 19th title in the competition.
On 25 May 2005, Martin O'Neill announced that he was to step down as manager at the end of the football season, but would remain at the club as a non-executive director. He stepped down as one of the most successful managers in the club's history. The club announced the next day that Gordon Strachan would replace him from 1 June, having signed a three-year contract. Neil Lennon took over as interim manager in February 2010, when Strachan was sacked after a poor season in which the club failed to defend their Scottish Premiership title and failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2003–04.
Originally founded by Brother Walfrid, Celtic FC became a limited company in 1897 and sold shares to local supporters via an application form. In 1897, majority ownership passed to businessman John Glass who invested significantly to save the club from financial instability. After his death in 1906, the club faced financial challenges but was saved in 1915 by James Grant, who assumed control of the club after significant investment. Grant promoted his son, John, to the board in 1925, but passed away three years later; the Grant family retained ownership of the club through James's wife, Mary, but the position of chairman passed to former player Willie Maley.
Promoted to the board a few days after the First World War, Tom White, a friend of Willie Maley, began acquiring shares in the club; for an investment of approximately £30,000, he accumulated a 50 per cent shareholding and took control in January 1925. When Mary Grant died in January 1931, her shares passed to John Grant, who sold a percentage of his shares to Tom White's son, Robert, in 1935; Robert White went on to become chairman upon his father's death in 1940. Media tycoon Roy Thomson attempted to buy the club in 1954, but did not meet White's asking price. In 1988, chairman Jack McGinn attempted to sell the club to David Holmes for £15 million, but the sale fell through and Holmes joined the board of directors instead.
Celtic FC is one of the most successful clubs in Scotland in terms of trophies won. The club's first trophy was the Scottish Cup, which they won in 1892. In 1893, the club won their first league title and have since then gone on to win a record 51 top-division titles—including a record 9 consecutive titles twice—and their total of 40 Scottish Cups is a record in itself. Those titles have meant the club has appeared a record 34 times in the Scottish League Cup; of those 34 appearances, Celtic FC have won a record 19 times.
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Celtic Football Club Official Website: Comprehensive history and information about Celtic FC https://www.celticfc.com
Wikipedia: Detailed overview, history, and statistics of Celtic Football Club https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_F.C.
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