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The supporters of Celtic F.C, a Scottish association football club based in the city of Glasgow, were estimated in 2003 to number around nine million. Numerous fan magazines and supporters' websites are dedicated to the club, and there are over 160 supporters' clubs in over 20 countries around the world.

Celtic F.C was founded as a charity for poor Irish immigrants in Glasgow by Brother Walfrid, a Marist Brother originally from County Sligo, Ireland. Consequently, Celtic is strongly associated with Scotland's Irish Catholic community and have a significant number of supporters in Ireland and among members of the Irish diaspora elsewhere. Celtic supporters have also traditionally been associated with support for Irish republican politics, and Irish flags are commonly flown at matches.

Supporters of Celtic F.C are colloquially referred to as Tims.

Fanbase

North America

In 2003 it was estimated that Celtic had a fanbase of nine million people worldwide, of which one million was in the United States and Canada. In 2002, former Rangers F.C. director Hugh Adam claimed that Celtic were "the best-supported football club in North America" and that the club's "Irish connection" was a determinant factor in their popularity. In 2004, The Sunday Times, when commentating on several European teams who were touring in the U.S at the time, stated that clubs such as Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United attracted support in the United States only when touring the country. In contrast, Celtic were said to "have such a strong pre-existing relationship with a huge expatriate following here that their support will endure."

There are over 60 Celtic supporters clubs in North America and nearly half of all U.S states have a Celtic supporters club.

Attendance

Celtic's home stadium is Celtic Park, located in Parkhead in the East End of Glasgow. It is the sixth largest stadium in the United Kingdom and the second largest in Scotland. Celtic Park's capacity has been 60,832 since the mid-1990s following redevelopment that turned it into an all-seater stadium.

Celtic Park's average attendance for the 2010-11 season was 48,968, the highest in Scottish football and the twelfth highest in Europe. This figure is roughly 80% of the stadium's total capacity, down from an average of around 95% a decade earlier. Celtic Park's highest average attendance over the last five seasons was 58,150 in the 2005-06 season. Over the next three seasons Celtic Park's average attendance remained above 57,000 before dropping to 45,582 during the 2009-10 season.

In 2003, Celtic reached the UEFA Cup Final, where they lost 3-2 to FC Porto. An estimated 80,000 Celtic supporters travelled to Seville for the occasion. Celtic fans received awards from UEFA and FIFA for their behaviour at the match.

Before the match, the UEFA Cup Final Chief of security, Rafael Carmona, said;

"I don't believe 50,000 fans will travel to Seville. That is madness it is an exaggeration. I think a fair number will be around 4,000. We are talking about a final to be played on a Wednesday, a day when people normally work."

Old Firm rivalry

Celtic's traditional rivals are Rangers; collectively, the two clubs are known as the Old Firm. The two have dominated Scottish football's history; between them, they have won the Scottish league championship 96 times since its inception in 1890 - all other clubs combined have won 19 championships. The two clubs are also by far the most supported in Scotland, with Celtic having the third highest home attendance in the UK.

The rivalry between the teams has various ethnic, religious and political associations, in that Celtic are associated with Irish Catholic origins and Rangers with Scotland's Protestant and British Unionist communities. A report prepared for Glasgow City Council in 2003 found that 74% of Celtic supporters described themselves as Roman Catholic and 4% as Protestant. For Rangers supporters, the figures were 5% and 65% respectively.

In Northern Ireland, the clubs have also attracted supporters from either side of the nationalist-unionist debate, which has intensified the rivalry in Scotland. Anti-sectarian charity Nil by Mouth notes that some supporters use songs, chants and banners on match days to express abuse or support towards the Protestant or Catholic faiths and proclaim support for Northern Ireland-based paramilitaries such as the IRA and UVF. A study in 2008 by the University of Strathclyde found that the Old Firm rivalry was "strongly linked to the conflict in Northern Ireland".

There have been nearly 400 Old Firm matches played as of 2011. The games have been described as having an "atmosphere of hatred, religious tension and intimidation which continues to lead to violence in communities across Scotland." The rivalry has fuelled many assaults and even deaths on Old Firm Derby days. Admissions to hospital emergency rooms have been reported to increase ninefold over normal levels and journalist Franklin Foer noted that in the period from 1996 to 2003, eight deaths in Glasgow were directly linked to Old Firm matches, and hundreds of assaults. Rangers fans' singing of the Famine song has also caused controversy.

Both sets of fans fought an on-pitch battle in the aftermath of Celtic's 1–0 victory in the 1980 Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park. There was serious fan disorder during an Old Firm match played in May 1999 at Celtic Park; missiles were thrown by Celtic fans, including one which struck referee Hugh Dallas, who needed medical treatment, and a small number of fans invaded the pitch.

Sectarianism

In March 2008, UEFA investigated Celtic fans for alleged sectarian singing at a match against Barcelona. However the case was dropped before the end of the month due to a lack of evidence. In 2008, a Celtic fan was convicted of a religiously aggravated breach of the peace for wearing a t-shirt with the slogan "dirty horrible huns".

Both clubs have taken measures to reduce sectarianism. In 1996 Celtic launched their Bhoys Against Bigotry campaign, later followed by Youth Against Bigotry to "educate the young on having ... respect for all aspects of the community — all races, all colours, all creeds".

Irish republicanism

Some groups of Celtic fans express their support for Irish republicanism and the IRA by singing or chanting about them at matches. In 2008 and 2010, there were protests by small groups of fans over the team wearing the poppy symbol for Remembrance Day, as it is a divisive symbol in Ireland. Celtic have expressed disapproval of these protests, saying they are damaging to the image of the club and its fans, and that they will ban those involved.

Famous Fans

References

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