Introduction

In choosing Celtic Football Club as the focus of my blog I have unquestionably chosen a company which is both extremely interesting to me and a passion of mine. The decision was not made, however, simply to allow me to write about my favorite sports team. Whilst this is an obvious advantage I will have over the next 15 weeks, I consider Celtic to be both an interesting business and an exciting brand.

Since the 1994 takeover detailed in the company history, Celtic have been reborn in a business sense. The poor financial management and lack of business acumen which almost led to bankruptcy has been banished and a new mentality instilled. Success on the soccer pitch will always be the number one objective, however this will not be permitted to come at the expense of good financial management.

Celtic is a popular soccer team, their stadium attendance and devoted fan-base is envied around the world. The club is, however, constrained financially by a small domestic market. Scotland has a population of just 5 million compared with England’s 52 million. The English Premier League television revenues (the largest source of club income) currently total $65m per club annually, whilst the Scottish Premier League television revenues total just $1.75m per club; a staggering gulf in income.

Without this annual cash injection enjoyed by teams in other nations, Celtic must be both aggressive and creative with their business dealings and the marketing of the club. 

It is on this basis that I believe the experience of writing of this blog will be educational for me and, I hope, interesting for others who may read it.