I was trawling through Facebook and saw a post today that really struck a chord with me. It was a simple post but strong in its message. A photo of the entrance to Celtic Park ring fenced in steel silhouetted by the statue of the legendary Jock Stein and the quote “Football without fans is nothing.
The poster also made the point that behind that ring fence was commemorative bricks that fans had paid for but cannot get access to and the poster was correct. The board see the fans as nothing more than a customer. A number to sell items to for revenue and a profit margin.
Now, of course, I am not naïve. Football became a business decades ago and the opinion of many now is that it is now no longer a working mans game. When you look at the financial outlay it costs to follow your club, season tickets costing hundreds of pounds per season, replica strips costing close to £100, then there’s the away top and the THIRD kit. Tie that in with DVD’s, TV packages, books etc etc etc…..it is all geared to the profit and not the experience of following the team.
We, as Celtic fans, have this wonderful vision of the clubs meaning. A club founded to help feed those in poverty in their time of need. A charitable organisation who had the community at it’s heart and soul. A club open to all. Then we see those fences. Even during the long spoken about 90’s era of the Whyte’s and the Kelly’s there was NEVER such a sight at the club. Even during all the protests to remove that board, fans were never fenced off from their club.
This board have lost touch of what the club stands for. Unless you have cash to hand over, they do not have the slightest interest in the fans. We ARE a club open to all but only, it seems, if you have the money to pay the entrance fee.