The Celtic Park capacity issue is revived with the future of South Stand in doubt

Almost any non transfer related tweet on August 31 is almost certain to virtually disappear without trace, on January 31 a similar effect is certain, even about the redevelopment of Celtic Park.

Without doubt Celtic Park is in need of an upgrade, three of the four stands are in the 25-30 year age bracket which is fine for another decade or so but the same can’t be said for the South Stand.

Left behind by the Fergus McCann driven rebuild at the end of the last century nothing has been done on that building since a new faced was completed in 1988 to add office spaces, increased hospitality facilities and a row of corporate boxes at the back of the Stand.

At the time it was a necessity as sponsorship and hospitality flooded into football, previously a couple of rows outside the Directors Box would be retained for CR Smith but the nineties corporate client expected something more.

In 2001 Celtic Park welcomed Champions League football for the first time, three sides of the stadium provided a fantastic backdrop for the television cameras but elsewhere things were badly lacking, they still are.

In two weeks time the new look Champions League begins with a visit from Slovan Bratislava, at best the media facilities at Celtic Park are quaint, in reality they are basic and lacking.

With broadcasters paying higher and higher fees for rights there is bound to come a time when UEFA demand proper working facilities, not a giant sized tent outside of the stadium to go alongside a dangerously overcrowded Media Room.

Improved facilities should have been in place at least a decade ago but with the South Stand struggling to provide running hot water to customers and housing two female toilets Celtic seem content with their quaint but inadequate facilities.

David Low did much of the legwork for McCann to take control and wholly redevelop Celtic when it was on its knees, staring towards Admiistration and Liquidation before the Scots-Canadian took over and changed generations of thinking.

After a spell with the Celtic Trust he has stepped down from that role, during a recent podcast with the Celtic Exchange he mentioned the formation of a Shareholders Association to provide a new voice for the thousands of fans with tiny shareholdings that get an hour of the club’s time at the AGM then are completely dismissed for the next 364 days.

Many reasons are put forward for Celtic’s stock piling of cash, the most logical one is that a board rammed with accountants and lawyers simply have no ideas on how to expand and develop the club. Anyone suggesting ideas to them is likely to be get the reply of ‘Ah but look at what happened to Rangers’ as a reply.

Sending the bank balance over £100m is turning into something of an embarrassment, that figure should be reinvested in running the club, mainly on the playing, coaching and support staff with external funding used for capital projects.

Celtic haven’t had a share issue since 2005, raising funds from a share issue alongside a long term loan of 15 years or so ought to be under discussion alongside the time span in which a new look South Stand would pay for itself.

Naturally caution will be the word among the Celtic executives, at the 2022 AGM Michael Nicholson gave a figure of £100m to redevelop the South Stand and quickly dismissed it, no detail was offered.

At some stage the issue will need to be addressed, being proactive is generally the smarter move but not one that is likely inside a club where every senior appointment was under the watch of Peter Lawwell.

A one season closure of the South Stand may be required but one batch of Champions League income more than covers that, an expanded new construction with fresh facilities, increased Season Ticket sales and hospitality should quickly be able to pay for itself. If the club possesses ambition and vision.

The new South Stand could include the club superstore, a museum (perhaps based around maintaining the current Directors Room) with another restaurant or two alongside fast food outlets. All income generators. Outside of 25 matchdays.

As with most matters Celtic it is unlikely that any public discussion will be had, scare stories such as at Ibrox over the last six months would be used to justify the status quo.

A redeveloped South Stand and regular involvement in the Champions League alongside modest investment in the playing staff through a proper Recruitment policy could quickly turn Celtic into a £200m a year operation.

Even with a fairly limited Stadium Tour there is constant demand all year round from visitors. Celtic fans and others, it is a leading Glasgow attraction.

A new South Stand would add greatly to the appeal of Celtic Park, there is enough demand out there to make it viable, when the South Stand was rebuild in the early seventies no-one imaged the Forge or Fort Shopping Centres or the prospect of a Velodrome being built across London Road.

But with the current leadership showing little interest beyond keeping things ticking over the same as before it is likely to require a new broom to appear to sweep the club into a new way of thinking.

Perhaps the trips to Dortmund, Zagreb and Aston Villa might drop a few seeds of ambition into Nicholson and his cronies, perhaps.