Celtic are spending the summer months upgrading 15 corporate boxes at the back of the South Stand.
There has been a decent debate on social media recently about improving that part of the ground. With the foundations installed in 1929, the current structure was built in 1971 with offices, lounges and corporate boxes added in 1988 to mark the Centenary of the club.
Executive boxes became common in English football during the early eighties with the revenue generated from 10 to 20 seats with top facilities behind glass far greater than the money raised from normal Season Tickets.
Celtic’s South Stand has increasingly become a relic of the past with virtually nothing in the way of even basic facilities.
There is no hot water in the toilets, there are no Ladies toilets with female fans having to move to the adjoining Jock Stein Stand to use the toilet.
A few years ago at an AGM Michael Nicholson dismissed the prospect of redeveloping that area of the stadium, he put the cost at £100m without giving any breakdown.
Thanks to regular qualification to the Champions League, Season Ticket sales and the boom in merchandising through Adidas Celtic are now sitting on a bank balance that fluctuates between £70-100m depending on the point of the year.
Rather than invest in a new South Stand the club prefers to pay Corporation Tax on profits, during the 23/24 season £12m of the clubs profits went to HMRC. Season Ticket holders have lost the two ‘extra’ matches that had been included since the stadium was rebuilt in the late nineties, now a Season Ticket only covers 19 SPFL matches. Adding European matches and cup ties it now averages at close to £1,000 a season for an adult to attend all home matches.
There are a variety of boxes, lounges and restaurants in the three other stands, those built in the nineties but there is a prestige to the Main Stand which is badly out of date with facilities at other sports stadiums.
When Adidas take their clients to their other elite clubs the treatment on offer is vastly superior compared to walking through the garish front door at Celtic Park which looks like the entrance to an eighties shopping centre.
Last summer the seats in the Directors Box were replaced, during an interview with The Celtic Exchange David Low revealed more spending on the South Stand which won’t benefit the normal match going Season Ticket holder.
37 minutes 40 seconds, after discussing his own Season Tickets in front of the media section Low reveals:
We’ve also got a box, there are 15 of them at the back (of the South Stand) then there are the stairs upto the Sky Box.
Those 15 boxes, it’s like a time warp from the 1980s. The service is great, the staff are great, even the food is great but its very very dated.
Indeed, as we speak, there are 15 of these, they’ve put the prices up, this is an example of investment, that’s why I mention it. If you invest in the infrastructure you can earn more money, a return on your investment.
So they are doing up all of our boxes, they’ll look great, there is no Chinese steel involved, they’ll be opened in time for the start of the season, but their putting the prices up 10%.
So, that’s an example of investing in infrastructure, putting your prices up and getting a return.
You could extrapolate all round the stadium by improving the infrastructure, the surrounding area, a fanzone, maybe even a hotel.
You can actually generate more money for the club which peculates down to, or do you peculate up, it doesn’t matter- you end up with more money for your team.
A rebuilt South Stand cold include a massive club superstore, a variety of restaurants and other facilities that could generate income every week of the year. It could even include hot water and Ladies Toilets. And offer tickets to the thousands that have paid to be a Waiting List.
Celtic are massively missing out on corporate income through the lack of facilities inside the stadium.
A friend enjoyed a corporate invite to the Champions League tie away to Bayern Munich and was amazed at the facilities on offer- all revenue generating.
Adidas have the biggest lounge at the Allianz Arena allowing them to invite hundreds of clients worldwide to enjoy a match in complete luxury.
Celtic have a few rooms and lounges but nothing comparable.
According to the Celtic website Kellogs, Coca Cola, William Hill, Sky Sports and Cadburys are among 22 official partners which obviously includes Adidas, Magners and Dafabet.
Clearly those firms identify with Celtic, having increased lounges and corporate areas would be ways for those firms to reward staff and customers and clients.
It seems that within Celtic there is no appetite for improvement, to take a leap forward and offer something comparable to other major sports organisations.
In his only ever media interview as CEO Michael Nicholson claimed in June 2023 that the club aims to be world class in everything that it does
Closing in on his fourth year in charge no changes have been made to the stadium on Nicholson’s watch.
It isn’t an exact science but between the bank account, a new share issue and some limited borrowing a new structure could be built in one year without impacting on the team. Perhaps some of the club’s very wealthy shareholders could provide loans at mates rates?
Effectively the team on the park is self financing, the money raised from selling players is generally reinvested in the squad.
With each passing season the South Stand grows more antiquated, at some stage the issue will have to be addressed in a manner more substantial than refurbishing 15 corporate boxes.
Since the club is so well connected in many different industries it remains a mystery why they don’t plan on upgrading the South Stand to provide anything between 15-20,000 seats, up on the current 8,000 and provide a lasting monument to the current success, providing massively increased revenue and another landmark in the east end of the city.
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5 Comments
by Pan
The worst thing about our club is the some of the hard of thinking and self-serving Board members who have the power. Nicholson is an abject disaster. What exactly does he do but take an entirely outrageous salary? Enough has been said about Lawwell. These people have taken over the club and got rid of a very decent and capable person as CEO prior to Nicholson. In my considered opinion, this was done because they realised what a good job he was about to do and so were fearful of how it would affect them and their power base. it would be interesting to hear what Mr McCann thinks of this. We fans are being treated a clowns in the same way as those of the club across the river. The Board secretly hold with the Old Firm brand, unlike us fans. The five way agreement is a secret. Why are our Board party to a secret>
by Dan
Once again an article that is full of negativity about Celtic Football Club.
Tell me how any PLC or Limited company can get round paying corporation tax? This is a tax that is paid on profits and profits by every company
With regards to the stadium there are ongoing improvements in various areas every year and this year a number of toilets within the stadium have been improved. Do some research about the main stand and I think you will find behind the existing frontage that was done for the centenary year is an area that is classed as listed and it is extremely difficult to change a listed building hence lack of expansion in this area
No PLC chairman makes public statements thats is what AGM’s are for however fans who hold shares can call an emergency general meeting for a specific subject if they can gather enough backing
Know the facts before writing 💩
by Editor
Hi Peter,
Please pass on my best wishes to all the lads at CQN, hopefully the summer bowling season will be one full of joy.
The frontage of the South Stand, completed in 1988 is absolutely not listed, not a chance.
Since you are so knowledgeable please provide a link to the Glasgow City Council document where it is listed.
Sensible businesses reinvest their income to grow the business instead of handing 10% of turnover to HMRC because your corporate heroes don’t have any plans to develop the company/business.
Every CEO in the SPFL Premiership and in England will provide at least two interviews a year to in-house club media to update on issues and explain to supporters what the club is planning.
Michael ‘penalty to Rangers ho ho ho ho ho’ Nicholson was in front of the cameras alongside Rodgers and Lawwell in June 2023 and hasn’t uttered a word in public since then outside of his AGM obligations.
Send that GCC listed building link/document any time and I will publish it in full, the South Stand frontage has the same status as any supermarket or shopping centre.
by Matt
Loved your honest opinion on the state of the main stand, I’ve sat in the north upper since it was opened and the main stand is an eyesore, the board just filling there pockets no vision.
by John
This is where a multi millionaire could come into play, what’s the point of having DD as a majority shareholder if he is not going to help the club out, he could loan us the money and get paid back from selling the extra seats, yes it could take 10 years, but it’s not as if he is looking for money or short of it, our board are not forward thinking.