What makes someone a bigger Celtic fan than another fan?
Is it someone who goes to more games than another person? Is it the fan who travels the furthest? Is it the fan who gives up the most to go the football ?
Other people might say that it is the fan who shouts and sings the loudest at the matches. Or is it the supporter who stays right till the full time whistle regardless of the score?
The real answer is that there is not an easy answer on how to define how much of a Celtic fan you are. In turn, that means that it’s very difficult to decide who is entitled to tickets for the upcoming Champions League games.
I know that there was a bit of a discussion or disagreement between various people on twitter last night over this very matter. This comes after the club have allowed season ticket holders to buy extra tickets for the Champions League matches.
As a season ticket holder, I’ve already bought my own tickets for the games but I don’t really feel that I should be entitled to buy tickets for people who may have never been to a Celtic game before. That could leave fans who do go fairly regularly without the chance of buying a ticket for the big games.
Last year, at the Juventus game, I remember when the 3rd goal went in that there was a group of people nearby who were throwing scarves away and shouting about how much of a disgrace Celtic well as they were leaving the ground.
I’ve sat in the same seat since the Jock Stein stand opened and nobody round about had any ideas who these ‘fans’ were. As sad as it is, it’s inevitable that people like that will end up at these games again this year over someone who goes to the games to support the team.
It’s important to remember that, despite our amazing home record, we are not entitled to win every home Champions League game. I don’t think someone going to a match as a one off seems to grasp that.
It’s partially for this reason that I would be wary of buying extra tickets for some people that I didn’t know very well.
In my opinion, fans who buy the most tickets should be entitled to the bigger games as a reward for supporting the team. The first argument against that could be that it means fans who live closer have an advantage over someone who has to travel to the games. Obviously someone who lives near the ground can decide at the last minute to go along to some games.
How about the club introduce some sort of reward scheme for supporters that takes into account money spent at the super store along with home and away tickets bought ?
Season ticket holders all have a unique ID so what’s to stop the club from setting up something similar for non season ticket holders who want to opt in?
Most football clubs have some sort of supporters club so I think that this should be taken into account for things like the bigger matches. If the club could make something like this work on an agreeable level, what’s to stop them from applying this to cup games too ?
I remember on the way to Seville, talking to a Hearts fan who had a ticket for the Celtic end. That annoyed me, part because of my dislike for Hearts but more because I don’t see why a fan of another club should see a game over a Celtic fan. Incidentally, my Dad watched the match in a park in Seville while this Hearts fan had a ticket.
In the past, there’s been more than once that I have been too all the cup games plus a semi final to then be told I have not been successful with applying for a final ticket.
Like a lot of things I write, there’s not one answer but I think a supporters reward scheme of some sort would be a good place for the club to start. Of course some fans have other ideas and some might completely disagree with what I’m saying, that’s what the comments box is for.
Seriously we should just do a massive points based system. Where you gain extra points for Celtic related activities and profile facts. Like. Does yer mother come frae Ireland. 15 points. Wear a cellic top 7/days a week. 10 points. Chuck a Hun off a bus ( presumably for being stinking ). 25 points. Turn up at yer sisters wedding in full cellic kit instead of the kilt she bought you. 30 points. Name yer daughter Pauline mcstay .. Whatever. 50 points. Ahemm. The points will all add up. And only the real true genuine better than all the other fans fans will get as many tickets as they like ( afford ). That sounds fair. HH. COYBIG.
The club want season ticket holders. They plan budgets around their revenue. I buy mine despite knowing that I will be unable to attend 5 or 6 games each season due to other commitments. We used to have 10,000+ more season ticket holders, Rangers went bust and many of our so called fans got selective about when or if they would go. Our crowds are down 15,000, that costs t he club millions. Yes some people can’t afford it but not 15,000. Buy your season ticket and enjoy SUPPORTING the club in ALL games. If Rangers are back in 2015 so will 10,000 fans. I have little sympathy for selective supporters. If you live far away, as I do, then its just hard luck if you don’t attend many matches then you run the risk you won’t be at the CL games. Buy a season ticket, and enjoy the CL.
I reckon you will find our STs sales are up from last year from what I hear, the worst recession since the early 1900’s and Glasgow and surrounding areas being the Unemployed capital of Europe at this present time, despite all that our Club probably in top 10 in the UK for ST sales.
And the myth that attendances are down due to the Old Rangers not being around is not accurate, im sure over the course of last season you tot up overall home attendance it won’t be that far out from the last 5 or so seasons numbers when the Old Rangers was around.
Maybe the Club should consider opening up a section of the stadium for the poor and unemployed, young and old, and have a system where a cheaper and affordable option is available, after all its one of the main reasons why our Club was founded in the first place to support that similar need and if those paying the full amount for STs become unhappy and moan about it then well they don’t fully understand what our Club is about.
#BrotherWalfridsCeltic HH
To RW67
nobody’s saying ST holders shouldn’t get first go. Question is should they get up to 4 more goes. After all, to use you’re arguement, how many games will recipients of these extra tickets have been to. How many will be given to “one off” guests (non Celtic supporting), or put out for sale at inflated prices?
I myself have supported Celtic all my life (I’m 52) and when I lived in Scotland used to travel to EVERY game, from EDINBURGH. I was in Madrid in 80 and Seville 03.
I now live in England and it costs me more than the price of a season ticket, to take me and the kids to 1 game (travel , accomodation etc). Yet we still do it when poss.
I don’t believe people like myself should have to wait till ST holders have had chance to purchase up to FIVE packages each. 2/3 would be much fairer.
I have been a season ticket holder for over 20 years as well as a shareholder. I have been to as many away European games as I can afford (about 10 over the past 7 seasons) but have always had to access tickets from non-official sources.
On every occassion I have unsuccessfully applied to Celtic for a ticket. The reason for the refusals being that for the first game I attended I had never been to a European away game before so was refused. For every other European away game since, I have been refused because I had never “officially” been to a European away game even though I could provide evidence of travel and match ticket stubs.
I prefer to make my own travel arrangements to save money over the Club’s preferred travel partner’s prices.
So does this make me a worse Celtic fan than those well off fans who can afford to go to every European away game with the Club’s preferred travel partner. I don’t think so. (Neither am I implying that I’m any better than them).
But what are the chances of being offered a ticket for Milan, Amsterdam or Barcelona. Zilch, nada, zero methinks.
So, yet again I’ll have to access a ticket for at least one of those games from non official sources. Where’s the fairness in that?
Hail hail.
I live far away RW67 as in 350 miles, I go to as many games as possible but cannot justify buying a season ticket as it costs me a fortune as it is to go to games. I live for Glasgow Celtic and for most of my life I lived 5 miles from Celtic park, I used to go to every game home,away,Europe, friendlies. But cannot see a champions league game. Where’s the justice in that eh?????
My wife and i too live miles away from Parkhead / Celtic park…..We are not season tickets holders however we subscribe to celtic in many ways,celtic tv,pools tickets,celtic shop some home games and last year we went to Barcelona , 2 tickets £360 amongst the barca fans and the flights and hotels nearly £1000..I think the season book holders should have first shout for tickets but any tickets above there allowance will only be sold on at a profit to others who are not supporters at all…check out the prices on celticfctravel and ticketbis…Where do they get the tickets to sell from?
Should have a Celtic IQ test ….
As someone who works shifts I can’t always get time off to go to games and with being on monthly pay makes it hard for games you do what to get to if they don’t have the tickets on sale at the time you have the money for it I would love to go to every Celtic game if I could afford to but things get in the way of that but it still dose not mean your any less of a fan of the team just because you can’t get to every game as for giving priority tickets to season ticket holders is a good thing because they pay a lot of money for that seat like Steven said he has sat in the same spot from day one and iv sat with him a few times and what a seat it is.!!
Brilliant. HH
Point systems are wrong for fans who will never be able to catch up with the elite few due to work,family or cash commitments.A mate embarrassed himself by demanding the ticket from another mate ‘cos he’d been to more games than him last season! I thought the song was WE are Celtic supporters…. Season ticket holders first then the Celtic public after that is fair.And going to Europe thru other channels rather than the official one is always cheaper guaranteed as I’ve done many times.
no matter what the club do someone is going to be disappointed,im one of the lucky ones me and my son have season tickets it was easier for the club under martin o’neil when we had 52-54 thousand season ticket holders you got one on each ticket and that was that,the club are only trying to show a bit of loyalty to the season ticket holders don’t really know what else they can do?
I think the club, not the company, really missed a trick here.
Fans should have been offered the three match package if they bought a ticket for any one of the home league games during the group stage.
This would have brought more fans in for league games as well as better revenue for the company, sorry club.
I can’t help slipping into SEVCO speak sometimes.
A lot of people like myself would give anything for a season ticket but i work weekends so can’t get a season ticket but try to get to as many games as possible and most night games including the qualifiers which were not sold out but will now struggle to get to the group games it’s bit of a joke really
Good article – thanks. The issue here is, that they have given all of the tickets to fans who are able to buy season tickets, or who know and can make arrangements with fans who have season tickets. Those of us who have to go to greater lengths to get to games, for whatever reasons, have been totally ignored, It is neither right nor fair, and is a real put down for many of us.
Excellent joe all the angst and desire here. If the passion ever dies so will our club. Thankfully were a passionate bunch. COYBIG.
i had the same experience a s your dad in saville watched the game in a park.and i,v been a celtic fan for over 50 years.HAIL HAIL.
Packages should have been sold to non season ticket holders who went to qualifiers first.Loads of clubs when they have big games coming up use voucher schemes where attendance at 3 previous games are compulsory to attaining big game ticket.Celtic v Morton will be empty so this game could have been used to get a voucher for CL packages based on a 1st come 1st served basis.
qued at celtic park since 9am this mornin. wasnt in the first 300. told to try online. so went home got online and on the phone to be told it had sold out. horrible system that people can buy up to 4 packages. cant belive iv missed out.
Absolute joke of a system,I am season ticket and my two boys as well who are 9 and 7 holder but work off shore so will miss the barca game,but to get tickets you had to buy the full package ! I won’t be renewing my season book next season !What’s the point when all the glory hunters get for the CL games and never turn up to the bread and butter ! The system is a complete joke !Loosing faith in the club I love !
I lived in Liverpool for a while and the system they have for buying tickets seems to work well for them. They’ve a small stadium compared to their fan base, so it’s usually sold out and tickets are in high demand.
They have a fan card for those without season tickets as a way of tracking who’s been to which matches, and if you attend a certain amount of games, or go to games in early rounds of a competition, or to games against ‘lesser’ opponents which aren’t likely to sell out then you have a greater chance of getting tickets for the big matches. Seems like a pretty fair system and might be worth a try.
I can’t get to many matches but when I do it usually ends up being a match where a lower attendance is expected (early qualifiers, early cup matches, bottom half league matches). I think it would be a fitting reward for fans like myself, who travel for hours to see a game many in Glasgow won’t get out of bed for, to be rewarded with the opportunity to see the team we all love perform on the big stage in the famous atmosphere that is unfortunately lacking for many other games.
Me too then we slept beside the fountain near alphonso xiv palace. In some square with thousands of other fans. What a night. These were the days of our lives. HH
I think the reason they allow book holders to get 4 packages is to make it a total lottery who gets the tickets. If they had any reward schemes outwith the season book you would probably see the season ticket sales drop by a few thousand, because there would be no fear of missing out on the big games.
There is no system that suits everyone but the season ticket is what the club relies on to set budgets, so any decisions will n
Be made to safeguard ST sales. I understand not everyone can have season tickets for a variety of reasons but there are just as many who plead poverty but are in the pub when the bus leaves and still there when it gets back, nice and warm well oiled, and wher I have to go home aft my post match beer they seem to be able to afford to stay till closing.
Celtic games are my social event, not eating out or the cinema, and I don’t have sky, I I can’t afford to nip up the pub for a few 2 or 3 times a week. If someone genuinely can’t afford a season ticket then fair enough but IMHO there are far more who plead any excuse not to go as they see celtic as a free hobby and pick and choose when to get the violin out.