Celtic are at the beginning of another important season and have announced that supporters have once again snapped up season tickets in their numbers.
The Bhoys are roared on by a fanatical following that will pay whatever it takes to back their side through the good and bad. This campaign has proved no different, with Parkhead briefs now completely sold out for 2024/25.
In a cost of living crisis, it does feel unfair that football fans across the board are subject to rising ticket and TV subscription prices, but the joy of following Celtic is something that people routinely find a way to enable.
I have also renewed for the new term despite the cost involved not being kind on my bank account. Away from the semantics, fans deserve to be rewarded for their unwavering loyalty to the Bhoys in the summer transfer window.
Celtic and the need to repay unwavering fan loyalty
Despite domestic football kicking off again in just over a month, Celtic have yet to make their first move in the transfer window, categorising them the only club in the Scottish Premiership not to do so.
Joe Hart hasn’t been replaced after retiring from football, Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah are no longer at Parkhead, and it remains to be seen if they will return. On the same token, several other squad areas need surgery.
Champions League ‘league phase’ participation is already guaranteed. Celtic share prices on the London Stock Exchange have undergone a major spike in recent days, so is near radio silence on incomings acceptable when it is nearly July? I’m not at panic stations yet, but the optics are admittedly not brilliant.
The club are at a handy financial vantage point, and though they might not be able to circumvent some difficult competition for talent on the market, there is a lot more going in their favour than working against them.
A wealth of season ticket money is also now banked. Include the amount that will be debited from home cup ticket scheme members and those who opt-in to buy match briefs for Champions League, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup involvement, and there is even more evidence to suggest that supporters deserve to be rewarded with quality additions to take care of business on the pitch.
Fans travel from far and wide, across Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales and further afield, to put everything into backing their side. They are owed a return on their investment.
With the transfer window in full swing, Celtic need to put their money where their mouth is. Hopefully, that can be the case and the club can make significant strides once again.