Celtic F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | The Celtic Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Bhoys The Celts The Hoops |
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| Founded | 6 November 1887 | |||
| Ground | Celtic Park | |||
| Capacity | 60,411 | |||
| Owner | Celtic PLC (LSE: CCP) | |||
| Chairman | Peter Lawwell | |||
| Manager | Brendan Rodgers | |||
| League | Scottish Premiership | |||
| 2015–16 | Scottish Premiership, 1st (champions) | |||
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The Celtic Football Club, often called Celtic, is a professional football team from Glasgow, Scotland. They play in the Scottish Premiership, which is the top football league in Scotland. The club started in 1887. Its main goal was to help poor people in the East End of the city.
Celtic played their first game in May 1888. It was a friendly match against Rangers, and Celtic won 5–2. The club quickly became very successful in Scottish football. They won six league titles in a row in the early 1900s.
Celtic had their best years in the 1960s and 1970s under manager Jock Stein. During this time, they won nine league titles in a row. They also won the European Cup in 1967. Celtic has always worn green and white. In 1903, they started wearing the famous green and white hoops.
Celtic is one of only seven clubs in the world to have won over 100 trophies. As of 2025, they have 120 major honours. This is the most of any European club. They have won the Scottish league championship a record 55 times. Their most recent win was in 2024–25. They have also won the Scottish Cup a record 42 times and the Scottish League Cup 22 times.
The 1966–67 season was Celtic's most amazing year. They won every competition they entered. This included the Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup, Glasgow Cup, and the European Cup. This made Celtic the first British team to win the European Cup. They are still the only Scottish team to reach the final. The players from that team, known as the "Lisbon Lions," were all born near Glasgow. Celtic also reached the 1970 European Cup Final and the 2003 UEFA Cup Final, but lost both.
Celtic has a big rivalry with Rangers. Together, they are known as "The Old Firm". Their matches are some of the biggest football derbies in the world. In 2003, it was thought that Celtic had about 9 million fans worldwide. There are over 160 Celtic fan clubs in more than 20 countries. About 80,000 fans traveled to Seville for the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. Even though they lost, their "extraordinarily loyal and sporting behaviour" earned them Fair Play awards from both FIFA and UEFA.
Contents
History of Celtic FC
Celtic Football Club was officially started on 6 November 1887. This happened at a meeting in St. Mary's church hall in Calton, Glasgow. An Irish Marist named Brother Walfrid founded the club. His goal was to help poor children in Glasgow's East End. He wanted to raise money for his charity, the Poor Children's Dinner Table.
Walfrid was inspired by Hibernian, another club formed by Irish immigrants in Edinburgh. Walfrid suggested the name Celtic to show the club's Irish and Scottish roots. The club's official nickname is The Bhoys. This unique spelling comes from an old postcard that said "The Bould Bhoys." The extra 'h' is like the spelling in Scottish Gaelic.
On 28 May 1888, Celtic played their first official game against Rangers. They won 5–2 in a friendly match. Neil McCallum scored Celtic's first goal. Celtic's first uniform was a white shirt with a green collar, black shorts, and green and black striped socks. The first club badge was a green cross on a red oval.
In 1889, Celtic reached the Scottish Cup final in their first season in the competition. They lost 2–1 to Third Lanark. In 1892, Celtic reached the final again and won their first major trophy. They beat Queen's Park 5–1. A few months later, the club moved to its new home, Celtic Park. The next season, they won the Scottish League Championship for the first time. In 1895, Celtic set a league record by beating Dundee 11–0 at home.
In 1897, the club became a company. Willie Maley became the first manager. Between 1905 and 1910, Celtic won the Scottish League Championship six times in a row. They also won the Scottish Cup in 1907 and 1908. This was the first time a Scottish club won the double (both the league and cup).
During World War I, Celtic won the league four times in a row. They had an amazing 62-match unbeaten run between November 1915 and April 1917. In the mid-1920s, Jimmy McGrory became a top goalscorer. He scored 550 goals in 547 games over 16 years. This is still a British goal-scoring record. Willie Maley retired in January 1940 after nearly 52 years with the club.
Jimmy McStay became manager in February 1940. Due to World War II, there was no official league football. Celtic won the Victory in Europe Cup in May 1945. This was a special match to celebrate the end of the war in Europe.
Former player and captain Jimmy McGrory took over as manager in 1945. Under McGrory, Celtic won the Coronation Cup in May 1953. This was a special tournament for the coronation of Elizabeth II. He also led them to a League and Cup double in 1954. On 19 October 1957, Celtic beat Rangers 7–1 in the Scottish League Cup final. This is still a record win in a British domestic cup final. After this, Celtic struggled and did not win more trophies under McGrory.
Jock Stein, a former Celtic captain, became manager in 1965. He won the Scottish Cup in his first few months. Then, he led them to the League title the next season.
1967 was an incredible year for Celtic. The club won every competition they entered: the Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup, Glasgow Cup, and the European Cup. This made Celtic the first club to win the European Treble. They are still the only club to win the "Quadruple" (all four major trophies). Under Stein, the team beat Inter Milan 2–1 in Lisbon on 25 May 1967. This made them the first British team to win the European Cup. The players, all from near Glasgow, became known as the "Lisbon Lions".
Celtic reached the European Cup Final again in 1970. They lost 2–1 to Feyenoord. The club continued to be very strong in Scottish football in the early 1970s. Their Scottish Championship win in 1974 was their ninth league title in a row. This matched a world record at the time.
Celtic had more success in the 1980s. In their Centenary season of 1987–88, they won both the Scottish Premier Division and the Scottish Cup.
The club faced difficulties in the early 1990s. In March 1994, the club was close to going bankrupt. However, businessman Fergus McCann took control. He saved the club and changed how it was run. McCann turned Celtic into a public company. He also oversaw the building of a new Celtic Park. It became a 60,832-seat stadium. In 1998, Celtic won the league title again under manager Wim Jansen. This stopped Rangers from beating Celtic's nine-in-a-row record.
Martin O'Neill became manager in June 2000. Under him, Celtic won three league championships in five years. In his first season, the club also won the domestic treble. This made O'Neill only the second Celtic manager to do this after Jock Stein. In 2003, about 80,000 Celtic fans traveled to Seville for the UEFA Cup Final. Celtic lost 3–2 to Porto after extra time. The fans received praise for their behavior and were given Fair Play Awards from FIFA and UEFA.
Gordon Strachan took over in June 2005. He won the league title in his first year. He became only the third Celtic manager to win three titles in a row. He also led Celtic to the UEFA Champions League knockout stage in 2006–07 and 2007–08. He left in May 2009. Tony Mowbray became manager in June 2009, followed by Neil Lennon a year later. In November 2010, Celtic set a league record. They beat Aberdeen 9–0 at Celtic Park.
Celtic celebrated their 125th anniversary in November 2012. That same week, they beat Barcelona 2–1 in a Champions League match. They finished the season by winning both the league and the Scottish Cup. In March 2014, the club won their third league title in a row. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster set a new record of 1,256 minutes without letting in a goal in a league game. Neil Lennon left the club at the end of that season.
Norwegian Ronny Deila became manager on 6 June 2014. He led the team to two league titles and a League Cup. However, their performance in European games was not as good. After losing to Rangers in the Scottish Cup in April 2016, Deila announced he would leave.
On 20 May 2016, Brendan Rodgers became the new manager. In his first season, the team had a long unbeaten run in domestic games. They won their 100th major trophy, beating Aberdeen 3–0 in the League Cup Final in November 2016. Celtic also won their sixth league title in April 2017. They finished with a record 106 points. They became the first Scottish team to complete a top-flight league season without losing a single game since Rangers in 1899. Celtic won their fourth treble by beating Aberdeen 2–1 in the 2017 Scottish Cup Final. This meant they went through the entire domestic season unbeaten.
Celtic continued their unbeaten domestic run into the next season. It reached 69 games, breaking their own 100-year-old British record of 62 games. They finally lost to Hearts in November 2017. Celtic won the League Cup again that month. They also won their seventh league title in April 2018. They beat Motherwell again in the 2018 Scottish Cup Final to win a second straight domestic treble. This was a first for a Scottish club.
Rodgers left the club partway through the next season. Neil Lennon returned as caretaker manager. He helped Celtic win an amazing third straight domestic treble. They beat Hearts 2–1 in the 2019 Scottish Cup Final. Lennon was then confirmed as the new manager.
In December 2019, Lennon led Celtic to a 1–0 win over Rangers in the 2019 Scottish League Cup Final. This was the club's tenth domestic trophy in a row. By March 2020, Celtic was 13 points ahead in the league. Football in Scotland was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Celtic was confirmed as champions in May 2020. The 2019–20 Scottish Cup final was delayed. Celtic won on penalty kicks after tying 3–3. This gave them a fourth straight treble.
However, Celtic struggled in the 2020–21 season. They did not do well in Europe. They were knocked out of the League Cup and were far behind Rangers in the league. Lennon resigned in February 2021. Celtic had their first season without a trophy since 2010.
Crest and Colours
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For most of Celtic's history, their home uniform has had green and white horizontal hoops. But their first uniform was a white top with black shorts and green and black striped socks. The top also had the Marist Brothers' badge. This was a green Celtic cross inside a red circle.
In 1889, the club changed to a green and white vertically striped top. This stayed the same for 14 years. The shorts changed between white and black. The top did not have a badge.
In 1903, Celtic started using their famous green and white hooped tops. They wore this new design for the first time on 15 August 1903. Black socks were worn until the early 1930s. Then, the team switched to green socks. Plain white socks started being used in the mid-1960s. White has been the main color for socks since then.
       1888
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   1889–1903
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   1903–1932
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1932–1965
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1965 onwards
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The club started using a badge in the 1930s. It had a four-leaf clover and the club's full name. But it wasn't until 1977 that Celtic put the club badge on their shirts. For their 100th birthday in 1988, they wore a special badge. It had the Celtic cross from their first shirts. The 1977 badge returned in 1989.
From 1945, numbered shirts slowly became common in Scotland. They became required in 1960. Celtic was the last club in Britain to put numbers on their uniforms. The club chairman, Robert Kelly, didn't want to "disfigure" the famous hoops. So, Celtic wore their numbers on the players' shorts. This unusual tradition lasted until 1994. However, they did wear numbered shirts in European games from 1975. The Scottish Football League told Celtic to wear numbers on their shirts from the 1994–95 season. Celtic first put numbers on their sleeves. But soon, they were told to put them on the back of their shirts. They appeared on a large white patch, which broke up the hoops.
In 1984, Celtic had shirt sponsors for the first time. CR Smith, a window company, put their logo on the front of the jersey. In 1991–92, Celtic changed sponsors to Peoples, a car sales company. The club didn't have a shirt sponsor for the 1992–93 season. Sales of the unsponsored shirts went up a lot. CR Smith returned as sponsors for the 1993–94 season.
In 2005, the club stopped working with Umbro, who had supplied their kits since the 1960s. They signed a deal with Nike. To celebrate 40 years since their European Cup win, a special badge was used for the 2007–08 season. The star representing this win stayed on the usual badge later. In 2012, Nike designed a retro-style kit with narrower hoops for the club's 125th anniversary. A special badge with a Celtic knot design was also used.
In March 2015, Celtic signed a new kit deal with New Balance. This deal was worth £30 million. It started in the 2015–16 season.
All the kits for the 2017–18 season honored the Lisbon Lions. The kits had a line on each side to look like the handles of the European Cup. They also had a special badge for that season. The regular badge returned the next season.
In March 2020, Celtic announced a new five-year deal with Adidas. This deal started on 1 July 2020. It is believed to be the biggest kit sponsorship in Scottish sports history.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s–1984 | Umbro | none | none |
| 1984–1991 | CR Smith | ||
| 1991–1992 | Peoples Ford | ||
| 1992–1993 | none | ||
| 1993–1997 | CR Smith | ||
| 1997–1999 | Umbro | ||
| 1999–2003 | NTL | ||
| 2003–2005 | Carling | ||
| 2005–2010 | Nike | ||
| 2010–2013 | Tennents | ||
| 2013–2015 | Magners | ||
| 2015–2016 | New Balance | ||
| 2016–2020 | Dafabet | Magners | |
| 2020– | Adidas |
Stadium
Celtic's home stadium is Celtic Park. It is in the Parkhead area of Glasgow. Celtic Park is an all-seater stadium. It can hold 60,411 fans. It is the largest football stadium in Scotland. It is also the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. People often call it Parkhead or Paradise.
Celtic opened the first Celtic Park in 1888. In 1892, the club moved to a different place because the rent went up. The new site became an oval-shaped stadium with large standing areas. The most people ever at a game was 83,500. This happened during an Old Firm derby on 1 January 1938.
The standing areas were covered, and floodlights were added between 1957 and 1971. A report called the Taylor Report said that all big clubs needed all-seated stadiums by August 1994. Celtic had money problems in the early 1990s. No big work was done until Fergus McCann took over in March 1994. He planned to tear down the old standing areas. Then, he would build a new stadium in stages. This was finished in August 1998.
While the stadium was being rebuilt, Celtic played at Hampden Park. This is Scotland's national stadium. It cost the club £500,000 in rent for the 1994–95 season. The new stadium cost £40 million when it was finished.
Celtic Park has been used for Scotland international games. It also hosts Cup Finals, especially when Hampden Park is not available. Before World War I, Celtic Park hosted other sports. These included composite rules shinty-hurling and track and field. It also held the 1897 Track Cycling World Championships.
In more recent years, Celtic Park has hosted big events. These include the Opening Ceremonies of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It also hosted the 2005 Special Olympics National Games. Sometimes, Celtic Park is used for concerts. Bands like The Who and U2 have played there.
In July 2016, Celtic Park became the first British football stadium to have a "rail seating" area. This is a safe standing area. Rail seating is common in Germany's Bundesliga. For example, Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion has it. That stadium is known for its intense atmosphere, like Celtic Park.
In June 2018, Celtic announced stadium improvements. These included new LED floodlights and a new entertainment system. They also added a stadium-wide PA system. A new hybrid playing surface was also installed.
Supporters
In 2003, it was thought that Celtic had about nine million fans. This included one million in the US and Canada. There are over 160 Celtic Supporters Clubs in more than 20 countries.
About 80,000 Celtic fans traveled to Seville, Spain, for the UEFA Cup Final in May 2003. Many did not have match tickets. The club's fans later received awards from UEFA and FIFA for their good behavior at the match.
Celtic has the highest average home attendance of any Scottish club. In 2011, they also had the 12th highest average league attendance among all European football clubs. A study from 2013 to 2018 ranked Celtic 16th in the world for stadium attendance. They had 36.5% of all spectators in Scotland, the most of any club in the leagues studied.
In October 2013, a French football magazine called So Foot listed the "best" football supporters in the world. Celtic fans were ranked third. They were the only British club on the list. The magazine highlighted their singing of "You'll Never Walk Alone" before European games at Celtic Park.
On 23 October 2017, Celtic fans won the FIFA Fan Award. This was for their amazing display (tifo) celebrating 50 years since the club's European Cup win. The award celebrates the best fan moment from November 2016 to August 2017.
Rivalry
Celtic's biggest rivals are Rangers. Together, the two clubs are known as the Old Firm. Some people see this as the biggest football derby in the world. These two clubs have won most of Scotland's football championships. Between them, they have won the Scottish league championship 108 times since 1890. All other clubs combined have won only 19 championships.
Celtic and Rangers are also by far the most supported clubs in Scotland. Celtic had the sixth highest home attendance in the UK during the 2014–15 season. Celtic has a historical connection with people from Ireland and Scots with Irish roots. These groups are mainly Roman Catholic. Traditionally, fans of rivals Rangers came from Scottish or Northern Irish Protestant backgrounds.
The rivalry between the clubs is very strong. Sometimes, this has led to inappropriate behavior from some fans. The clubs and authorities work to prevent this. For example, in 2008 and 2010, some fans protested against wearing the poppy for Remembrance Day. This symbol is linked to the British military and is opposed by some Irish groups. Celtic said these protests harmed the club's image and promised to ban those involved. In 2011, UEFA fined Celtic for some chants by fans. The club had tried to stop these chants.
Celtic Media
In 1965, Celtic started its own newspaper, The Celtic View. It is now the oldest club magazine in football. It was the idea of Jack McGinn, who later became chairman. McGinn edited the paper for the first few years. It first sold about 26,000 copies. By 2020, it was a 72-page magazine with over 6,000 weekly readers. It was the best-selling club magazine in the UK. Production stopped temporarily in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in August 2021, Celtic announced it would restart. It became a 100-page magazine published every three months.
From 2002, Celtic's online TV channel, Channel67 (formerly Celtic Replay), showed Celtic's content worldwide. It also offered live match coverage to subscribers outside the UK. In 2004, Celtic launched its own digital TV channel called Celtic TV. It was available in the UK through Setanta Sports. Celtic TV stopped broadcasting in June 2009 when Setanta closed in the UK. In 2011, Celtic TV was relaunched as an online service. It replaced Channel 67.
Influence on Other Clubs
Many clubs have been inspired by Celtic because of its large fanbase. Several clubs in Northern Ireland were started by local Celtic fans. The most famous was Belfast Celtic, formed in 1891. They were simply called Celtic at first. But when they became a company in 1901, they changed their name to "Belfast Celtic." This was because the Glasgow club already had the name "Celtic Football Club Ltd." Their home was Celtic Park in west Belfast, also known as Paradise. It was a very successful team in Ireland until 1949.
Donegal Celtic, which plays in the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, was started in 1970. The "Celtic" part came from the huge local support for Glasgow's Celtic and Belfast Celtic. They are nicknamed The Wee Hoops. They play at Donegal Celtic Park in Belfast.
A club called Lurgan Celtic was formed in 1903. It was clearly meant for the Roman Catholic community in the town. They used the name and colors of Glasgow's Celtic. This club from County Armagh now plays in the NIFL Championship. In the Republic of Ireland, both Tuam Celtic A.F.C. and Castlebar Celtic F.C. play at grounds called Celtic Park.
Across Scotland and England, other clubs have been named after Celtic and adopted their kit. These include the Scottish club Blantyre Celtic F.C. (now closed). There's also the Irish club Listowel Celtic F.C. English lower-league clubs include Cleator Moor Celtic F.C., started in 1908–09 by Irish immigrants. Others are Celtic Nation F.C. (now closed) and West Allotment Celtic F.C..
Somerset club Yeovil Town F.C. traditionally wore all-green shirts. They changed their uniform to look like Celtic's. This was inspired by Celtic's 2003 UEFA Cup run.
South African club Bloemfontein Celtic F.C. is also named after Celtic F.C. It is one of the most popular clubs in South Africa. It was founded in 1969 as Mangaung United. In 1984, the owner changed the name to Bloemfontein Celtic. They are based in Bloemfontein and play in the Premier Soccer League. In the United States, Hurricanes F.C. of Houston, Texas changed their name to Celtic FC America in 2019. They play in the Texas Premier Soccer League.
Amateur Australian club South Lismore Celtic FC plays in the FFNC Premier League. They are named and designed after Celtic. South Lismore Celtic FC were the 2022 champions of their league.
Charity Work
Celtic was first founded to raise money for poor people in Glasgow. The club still has strong charitable traditions today. In 1995, the Celtic Charity Fund was created. Its goal was to "revitalise Celtic's charitable traditions." By September 2013, it had raised over £5 million.
The Charity Fund later joined with the Celtic Foundation. They formed the Celtic FC Foundation. This foundation continues to raise money for local, national, and international causes.
On 9 August 2011, Celtic held a special match for former player John Kennedy. Because of the humanitarian crisis in East Africa, all the money raised went to Oxfam. About £300,000 was raised.
Celtic also holds an annual charity fashion show at Celtic Park. In 2011, the main charity helped was Breast Cancer Care Scotland.
Yorkhill Hospital is another charity Celtic works with. In December 2011, the club gave £3000 to the hospital. Chief Executive Peter Lawwell said that Celtic is "much more than a football club." He said it is important for the club to help the wider community.
Club Ownership and Money
Early Ownership
Celtic was formed in 1887. In 1897, the club became a private company. Shares were sold for £1 each. More shares were sold the next year to raise more money. Most shares were held by businessmen from Glasgow's East End. These included James Grant, James Kelly (one of the first players), and John Glass. The Grant, Kelly, and White families owned most of the club throughout the 20th century.
In the late 1940s, Robert Kelly, James Kelly's son, became chairman. He had been a director since 1931. Desmond White also joined the board. By the 1950s, a lot of shares went to Neil and Felicia Grant in Ireland. These shares were more than a sixth of the club's total. Chairman Robert Kelly's family also owned a similar amount. He worked closely with the Grants to keep his power at Celtic. When Neil Grant died, his shares went to his sister Felicia. This made her the largest shareholder. This led to the story among fans about the "old lady in Ireland" who supposedly controlled the club.
Celtic's board of directors was known for being careful with money and strict. They often sold their best players and didn't pay staff enough. They were also seen as not being ambitious enough. This caused problems with several managers. Jimmy McGrory's time as manager is often seen as not very successful. Many people wondered how much power McGrory actually had in choosing the team. Even Jock Stein's time as manager ended badly. He was offered a place on the Celtic board, but in a role selling tickets. Stein felt this was insulting and left to join Leeds United.
Billy McNeill won a trophy in each of his five seasons as manager. But he was still paid less than managers of other top clubs. He left in June 1983 after his request for a contract and pay raise was rejected. McNeill said staying at Celtic would have been humiliating. Davie Hay, McNeill's replacement, also had problems with the board. In 1987, when he wanted to sign players, the board refused to pay. Chairman Jack McGinn reportedly said Hay would have to pay for them himself.
By the end of the 1980s, the Celtic board included chairman McGinn and directors Kevin Kelly, Chris White, Tom Grant, and Jimmy Farrell. In May 1990, Michael Kelly and Brian Dempsey joined the board. Dempsey left five months later due to a disagreement about moving the club.
McCann's Takeover
In the 1960s and 70s, Celtic was one of Europe's strongest clubs. But the directors did not keep up with the financial changes in football in the 1980s. The club still did well in Scotland, but not in Europe. In 1989, the club's budget was £6.4 million, about a third of Barcelona's. They had a debt of about 40%, and success on the field was getting worse. In the early 1990s, the situation got much worse. Playing success dropped, and the club went further into debt.
In 1993, fans started groups to protest against the board. One famous group was "Celts for Change." They supported a takeover bid by Canadian businessman Fergus McCann and former director Brian Dempsey. Football writer Jim Traynor called McCann's attempt to buy the club "good against evil." Even with fewer fans attending games and growing anger, the Kelly, White, and Grant families kept control of Celtic.
On 4 March 1994, McCann bought Celtic for £9 million. He finally took control from the families who had run the club for almost 100 years. It was reported that when he bought the club, it was only 24 hours away from going bankrupt. McCann turned Celtic into a public company. He sold shares that raised over £14 million. This was the most successful share sale in British football history. He also oversaw the building of the new Celtic Park. It cost £40 million and was Britain's largest club stadium at the time. This helped Celtic grow. Over £20 million was raised each year from season ticket sales.
McCann had said he would only be at Celtic for five years. In September 1999, he announced that his 50.3% share in Celtic was for sale. McCann wanted many people to own Celtic. He gave first choice to existing shareholders and season-ticket holders. This was to stop a new group from taking over. McCann sold 14.4 million shares for 280 pence each. He made £40 million, meaning he left Celtic with a £31 million profit. During his time, Celtic's income grew by 385% to £33.8 million. Profits also rose from £282,000 to £6.7 million.
McCann was often criticized. Many people disagreed with him about building a stadium they thought Celtic couldn't fill. They also thought he didn't invest enough in the team. However, McCann was responsible for the club's financial recovery. He gave it a strong base to build on. After he left, the club could invest in players. They achieved great success, like winning the treble in 2000–01 and reaching the 2003 UEFA Cup Final.
After McCann left, Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond became the main shareholder. He bought 2.8 million of McCann's shares. This increased his ownership from 13% to 20%.
In 2005, Celtic offered new shares to raise £15 million. 50 million new shares were available for 30p each. It was also announced that Desmond would buy about £10 million worth of shares. £10 million of the money raised was for building a new training center and youth academy. It was also for expanding the club's scouting and player development. The rest of the money was used to reduce debt. Building a youth academy was important for Celtic. The new Lennoxtown training centre opened in October 2007.
Celtic has been in the Deloitte Football Money League six times. This list shows the top 20 football clubs in the world by how much money they make. They were on the list between 2002 and 2008.
Celtic's financial results for 2011 showed that the club's debt was reduced from £5.5 million to £500,000. They also made a pre-tax profit of £100,000. This was much better than the £2 million loss the year before.
In May 2012, Celtic was ranked 37th in Brand Finance's list of the world's biggest football clubs. Celtic's brand was valued at $64 million (£40.7 million). This was $15 million more than the year before. It was the first time a Scottish club was in the top 50.
Players
First-team squad
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Players on Loan
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Women's Team
Celtic has a path for female players, starting from age eleven. In 2007, the club launched their women's first team, also known as Celtic Women. The women's team reached the Scottish Women's Cup Final in their first season. They won their first trophy in 2010, the Scottish Women's Premier League Cup. In December 2018, they announced they would train full-time. This made them the first professional women's football team in Scotland.
Club Captains
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Greatest Ever Team
| Greatest-ever Celtic team |
In 2002, supporters voted for the greatest-ever Celtic team:
Ronnie Simpson- Danny McGrain
- Tommy Gemmell
- Bobby Murdoch
- Paul McStay
- Billy McNeill – Voted Celtic's greatest ever captain
- Bertie Auld
- Jimmy Johnstone – Voted Celtic's greatest ever player
- Bobby Lennox
- Kenny Dalglish
Henrik Larsson – Voted Celtic's greatest ever foreign player
Club Officials
Board of Directors
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Management Team
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Managerial History
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Honours and Awards
Celtic has won many trophies throughout its history. Here are some of their major wins:
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons |
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| Domestic | Scottish League Championship | 55s |
1892–93, 1893–94, 1895–96, 1897–98, 1904–05, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1915–16, 1916–17, 1918–19, 1921–22, 1925–26, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1953–54, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25 |
| Scottish Cup | 42 |
1891–92, 1898–99, 1899–1900, 1903–04, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1913–14, 1922–23, 1924–25, 1926–27, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1950–51, 1953–54, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1994–95, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2022–23, 2023–24 |
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| Scottish League Cup | 22 |
1956–57, 1957–58, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1974–75, 1982–83, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2024–25 |
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| Continental | UEFA Champions League | 1 | 1966–67 |
- record
- s shared record
Other Major Awards
- European Cup/UEFA Champions League
- Runners-up: 1969–70
- UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League
- Runners-up: 2002–03
- Intercontinental Cup
- Runners-up: 1967
- British League Cup
- Winners: 1902
- Empire Exhibition Trophy
- Winners: 1938
- Coronation Cup
- Winners: 1953
Special Awards
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award: 1
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- 1967
- France Football European Team of the Year: 1
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- 1970
- FIFA Fair Play Award: 1
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- 20031
- UEFA Fair Play Award: 1
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- 20031
- FIFA Fan Award: 1
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- 20171
1 Awarded to the fans of Celtic.
Quadruple (4 Trophies in one season)
- League Title, Scottish Cup, League Cup, and European Cup: 1
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- 1966–67
Trebles (3 Trophies in one season)
- League Title, Scottish Cup, and League Cup: 8
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- 1966–67, 1968–69, 2000–01, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2022–23
Doubles (2 Trophies in one season)
- League Title and Scottish Cup: 13
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- 1906–07, 1907–08, 1913–14, 1953–54, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1987–88, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2012–13, 2023–24
- League Title and League Cup: 8
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- 1965–66, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1997–98, 2005–06, 2014–15, 2021–22, 2024–25
- Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup: 1
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- 1974–75
Club Records
- The Scottish Cup final win against Aberdeen in 1937 had 147,365 fans at Hampden Park. This is still a world record for a national cup final. It's also the highest attendance for a club football match in Europe.
- Highest attendance for a European club game: 136,505 against Leeds United in the European Cup semi-final at Hampden Park (15 April 1970).
- Record home attendance: 83,500 against Rangers on 1 January 1938. Celtic won 3–0.
- UK record for not losing a domestic professional football game: 69 games (60 wins, 9 draws). This lasted from 15 May 2016 to 17 December 2017, a total of 582 days.
- League record for not losing home matches: 77 games, from 2001 to 2004.
- 14 straight League Cup final appearances, from 1964–65 to 1977–78. This is a world record for consecutive appearances in a major football final.
- World record for total goals scored in a season (only competitive games): 196 goals (in the 1966–67 season).
- Most goals scored in one Scottish top-flight league match by one player: eight goals by Jimmy McGrory against Dunfermline in a 9–0 win on 14 January 1928.
- Highest score in a domestic British cup final: Celtic 7–1 Rangers (1957 Scottish League Cup Final).
- Fastest hat-trick in European Club Football: Mark Burchill against Jeunesse Esch in 2000; 3 minutes (between the 12th and 15th minute). This was a record at the time.
- Earliest Scottish Premiership title won: Won with eight games left in 2017, against Heart of Midlothian on 2 April 2017.
- Biggest win in the SPL: 9–0 against Aberdeen, 6 November 2010.
- Biggest win in the Scottish Premiership: 9–0 against Dundee United, 28 August 2022.
- Celtic and Hibernian hold the record for the largest transfer fee between two Scottish clubs (Scott Brown in May 2007).
- Most expensive player sold from Scottish football: Kieran Tierney to Arsenal (August 2019).
- First weekly football club newspaper in the UK: The Celtic View.
- First European club to have a player from the Indian subcontinent: Mohammed Salim.
- Gil Heron, who signed for Celtic in 1951, was the first black person to play professionally in Scotland. His son Gil Scott-Heron became a famous jazz and soul musician.
Individual Player Records
- Most games played (all competitions): Billy McNeill, 822 games from 1957 to 1975.
- Most games played (League): Alec McNair, 583 games from 1904 to 1925.
- Most international caps for Scotland: 102 (47 while at Celtic), Kenny Dalglish.
- Most international caps for Scotland while a Celtic player: 76, Paul McStay.
- Most caps won while at Celtic: 80, Pat Bonner.
- Record goal scorer: Jimmy McGrory, 522 goals (1922/23 – 1937/38).
- Record goal scorer in league games: Jimmy McGrory, 396 goals.
- Most goals in a season (all competitions): Jimmy McGrory, 62 goals (1927/28). (47 in League, 15 in Cup games).
- Most goals in a season (league only): Jimmy McGrory, 50 goals (1935/36).
Club Partners
As of May 2024, Celtic works with these partners:
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Images for kids
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Brother Walfrid, who founded Celtic FC.
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A team photo from around 1889, before the hooped jerseys were adopted.
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William Maley, who served Celtic for nearly 52 years.
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See also
In Spanish: Celtic Football Club para niños
