3rd May 2026; Easter Road, Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Premiership Football, Hibernian versus Celtic; Brian Wilson, Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay of Celtic
On July 29 the club announced the launch of Celtic Connect to improve relations with supporters.
Fans had until August 29 to apply to join with the chance to meet key club employees three times a season to discuss all matters affecting fans and the club.
No videos or social media content was made to promote Celtic Connect which succeeds the Fans Forum which the club abandoned in May 2025.
Keen to get involved, the Celtic Fans Collective suggested that their members take up the offer and provided a template to apply.
Appearing on Celtic AM, Alison Docherty from the Collective provided some detail from their September meeting with Paul John Taylor and George Campbell, Celtic’s Head of Legal and Governance.
For Celtic that meeting was clearly a box ticking exercise. No consultation was made ahead of the launch of Celtic Connect which will consist of:
Celtic Connect will be made up of representatives from the Club (including board members) and a broad range of supporter representatives (appointed by a selection panel from applicants).
One Season Ticket holder from each of the four stands will be appointed by the club. Rendering the entire exercise utterly pointless.
According to Docherty the club received 770 applications to be involved in Celtic connect. Half of the applicants used the Collective template.
Out of over 50,000 Season Ticket holders getting 770 applicants is truly pitiful.
https://youtu.be/Z5meAj2fU-E?t=970
Docherty doesn’t tie in with the image of the Celtic Fans Collective that the club is keen to push.
A year on from the excitement of being formed the Collective was running out of momentum.
CELTIC STATEMENT REVIVES THE COLLECTIVE
That all changed with Celtic’s tennis balls statement which banned the Collective from engagement with the club. Engagement consisted of two meetings with disinterested club employees over 12 months.
Since being blamed for the tennis balls incident there has been a surge of interest in the Collective.
They had discussed retiring Not Another Penny, it has now been reinforced. The effect is hitting income streams, the only issue that interests the Celtic board.
The issue being lost over Celtic Connect or the Fans Forum is what it is actually for. Not the mechanics of creating it.
A year on from Nicholson’s promises of improved communication and engagement on a recording at the AGM only a new app has been produced by the club.
Celtic Connect has multiple issues to address, Celtic Disconnected would be a fairer assessment of the current state of play.
At every level of club activity there are problems and issues. From ticket sales to the state of Celtic Park. Through to the feeble acceptance of the SFA punishment for a Scottish Cup tie played at Ibrox.
THE DISCONNECT CRIPPLING THE CLUB
Last month’s Europa League match in Lisbon summed up the sorry state of affairs.
Celtic got the Estadio Nacional closed to visitors for 40 minutes as they showed sponsors and corporate guests around the scene of the club’s finest hour and a half.
‘Ordinary’ fans were left outside, the Board of Directors didn’t want to share the same airspace. They are keen to share every piece of Lisbon Lions tat with ‘the greatest supporters in the world’.
The Lisbon Lions have been reduced to a crude marketing tool by the current club leadership.
It will be interesting to see if the club proceeds with Celtic Connect. Connected to 770 fans with four specially selected for tea and biscuits, patronising and a friendly pat on the back.
As Nicholson racks up another epic failure on a CV that already includes Mark Lawwell, Wilfried Nancy and Paul Tisdale.
