Celtic Football Club hold the distinguished honour of being the first British team to win the European Cup. When Celtic won the European Cup in 1967, they pried the trophy out of the hands of the traditional winners, the glamorous Italian and Spanish clubs who seemed to have their names on it every year.
In fact, in 1967, Celtic won the Quadruple of the European Cup Scottish League, the Scottish Cup, and the Scottish League Cup. They even won the Glasgow Cup! The club’s march to European domination almost succeeded again a few years later, when Celtic qualified for the European Cup final in 1970, only to be beaten by Feyenoord in extra time. In 2003 they made the UEFA Cup final in Seville, but were beaten 3-2 by F.C. Porto after extra time. According to popular belief, 80,000 Celtic supporters made the trip to Seville for the final, despite many not having Celtic football tickets. More recently, Celtic won the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup in 2007.
Celtic Football Club had its formal origins at a gathering of the founding members, in St. Mary’s Church hall in Glasgow, in 1887. There has forever been a strong Irish connection with Celtic, and on this occasion a holy one also, for the major figure was a Marist Brother who sought to establish Celtic as a means to raise money for the poor in East Glasgow. This followed a similar venture by Edinburgh’s Hibernians, another football club with Catholic roots and sensibilities. In 1888, Celtic played their first official game against fellow Glaswegians Rangers, winning 5-2. Hibernian supplied 8 players for the match. Celtic’s rivalry with Rangers F.C is one of the fiercest in European sport, with matches tempered by the religious edge, as well as the typical aggressive posturing (and violence) of Glasgow itself. The two teams are together known as the Old Firm, and Celtic Rangers tickets are among the most sought after in British football. Not many people know that until 1994, the club’s proper name was The Celtic Football and Athletic Company Ltd. Many people also believe Celtic’s ground to be called Parkhead, but in fact it is called Celtic Park, and is second in size only to Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium. Despite its large size, Celtic Park regular sees hordes of Celtic fans hunting for spare Celtic tickets, as the whole of the green half of Glasgow wants to sample the magical atmosphere.
Celtic’s unusual green and white hooped shirts more resemble a rugby shirt than a football shirt, but they are one of the best-supported clubs in the world, with an estimated nine million supporters globally. Celtic supporters claim to be the loudest in the world, and to hear the roar at Celtic Park is to certainly be treated to a phenomenal footballing treat. Celtic tickets have a magic about them, and anyone visiting their home in Glasgow will come away with great memories of what it means to sit among true fanatics of the football world.
Full name The Celtic Football Club
Nickname The Bhoys
Founded 1888
Ground Celtic Park
Capacity 60,832
England
Spain
Italy
Rest of Europe