News that Celtic have a Season Ticket waiting list of 17,000 fans has prompted some supporters to debate whether the stadium capacity should be increased.
At the moment Celtic Park hosts 60,000 fans with just over 50,000 Season Ticket holders which allows a decent amount of supporters to attend on a match by match basis. Non Season Ticket holders are also more likely to spend money on club merchandise.
When Fergus McCann took over in 1994 stadium redevelopment was essential. The club had 9,000 seats in the Main Stand with three quarters of the stadium a concrete bowl with the Taylor Report a year away.
Within months the terraces had been flattened with the North Stand making a spectacular arrival on the east end sky-line.
In July 1995 Newcastle opened the new look stadium in front of 32,000 fans with an open-air temporary stand soon added hosting a few thousand behind the goal where the Jock Stein Stand now sits.
By 1998 Celtic Park hosted 60,000 seats with only the older Main Stand, built in 1971 pre-dating McCann’s reign.
Over the years there has been suggestions that the bowl shape could be completed, taking capacity to 80,000 but that would require a new league set up. With the best will in the world the club couldn’t sell 65-70,000 season tickets for matches against St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Motherwell.
The numbers revealed by the Waiting List provide food for thought but an increase in capacity to 80,000 could reduce the demand for Season Tickets if supporters knew that for 95% of matches they could buy individual tickets.
Like it or not a large percentage of Season Tickets are sold ensuring supporters of tickets for the Glasgow derby, overwhelming evidence would be needed to alter the current supply and demand model.
Celtic have over 17-20k in our waiting list. Main Stand expansion has been moved up from 10-year strategic planning to 5 years. 80k with a drive into the stadium coach entrance for CL finals. https://t.co/4nNsgT4UBt pic.twitter.com/Zt2JoBhY6i
— Olivier Ntcham CSC ?IAR? (@DBestseventy2) July 2, 2020
I get that mate. Forget my tweet how long do we ignore 17k wanting in? Indefinitely surely not.
— Olivier Ntcham CSC ?IAR? (@DBestseventy2) July 3, 2020
They’ll have to demolish the centenary facade then. That would effectively be inside the new stand.
— Scottsman78 ? (@Scottsman1978) July 2, 2020
Why do we have 14k-17k waiting list with another 1k table sitting waiting for space.
— Olivier Ntcham CSC ?IAR? (@DBestseventy2) July 2, 2020
I think it’s all European League dependent.
God knows what’s going to happen in the next few years in European football.
I don’t think we’ll act until we know more.
Any inclusion in a Euro league would mean the Main Stand would have to be upgraded as you say for bus access.— Martin Brennan_Sligo (@00Bollox_Celtic) July 2, 2020
Great so 95% of games can have more empty seats. Not required.
— Huell Babineux ?? (@HBabineux) July 2, 2020
Things change no? Most 5, 10, 15 and 25 years strategic planning get adjacent to the business cycle ( nature).
— Olivier Ntcham CSC ?IAR? (@DBestseventy2) July 2, 2020
Never gony happen fs, the beams need dropped outside matcdays to provide support in that stand, no chance we’re building on that, just be more empty seats anyway
— j (@awayfishin_) July 2, 2020
I understand the beams were to hold the roof DOWN in event of strong winds ,not hold it UP. Happy to be corrected. An expansion of main stand would involve a rebuild within ‘listed’ frontage.
— JohnPaul Gilmartin-Bolingoli (@sannabhoy) July 2, 2020
Changing room sizes as well am sure
— Brother Celtic (New Account) (@Brother_Celtic) July 2, 2020
Not sure the 80k is necessary, but having the main stand redeveloped to match the rest of the ground would be class, it would make it a proper cauldron??
— Stephen Stewart (@stevefeelgood) July 3, 2020
It’s the only way we are going to be able to compete with the so called big teams as we don’t get TV money like other English and EU teams . make our own money match day .. build a hotel push our brand…
— John Connelly (@petronasa) July 2, 2020