Celtic unveil plaque to Celts for Change group
Celts for Change emerged in September 1993 as frustrations grew at the lack of direction and leadership from the existing board and played a lead role in Fergus McCann’s takeover of the club in March 1994.
McCann flew in from Canada to present the Bank of Scotland with a £1m deposit to keep the club in business before finally wrestling control from the White and Kelly families.
In the pre-internet days supporters were much less informed than they are presently but thanks to the efforts of the fanzine movement those fans unhappy with the direction of the club were able to find a common voice.
At that time Celtic hadn’t won the championship since the Centenary season of 1987/88 with the Liam Brady era coming to an end.
Word quickly spread among fans about the state the club was in but with three generations of the White and Kelly dynasty ruling the club change was never going to be straightforward.
Celts for Change, formed by malcontents Matt McGlone, Brendan Sweeney,Colin Duncan, David Cunnigham and John Thompson galvanised disillusioned supporters and quickly gained a voice in the media with radio and television appearances.
A number of protest events were arranged, including picketing the Bank of Scotland HQ in Glasgow city centre before the group called for a fans’ boycott of a home match against Kilmarnock.
The boycott issue was the strongest weapon that the group had but with the clubs positioning worsening a boycott was called having previously used the slogan of Back the Team, Sack the Board.
Various potential investors emerged, including Willie Haughey, Gerard Wiesfeld and Brian Dempsey, but it was McCann who forced the issue through with his then business partner Dempsey.
Now almost 20 years after taking the first steps to revolutionise the club Celtic have recognised the efforts of five fans who helped to shape the modern Celtic.
CLICK HERE for more details on Celt’s for Change