History of Celtic F.C. in Timeline

Celtic F.C. is a professional football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, competing in the Scottish Premiership. Founded in 1887 to address poverty within the Irish-Scots community, they played their first game in 1888, defeating Rangers. Celtic quickly became a dominant force, securing six consecutive league titles in the early 1900s. Their golden era occurred in the 1960s and 70s under manager Jock Stein, highlighted by nine successive league titles and winning the 1967 European Cup. The team is recognized by their green and white hooped jerseys adopted in 1903.

August 1903: Adoption of Green and White Hoops

In August 1903, Celtic adopted their famous green and white hooped tops for the first time. The new design was worn on 15 August 1903 in a match against Partick Thistle.

January 1938: Record attendance at Celtic Park

On 1 January 1938, Celtic Park set a record attendance of 83,500 at an Old Firm derby.

1945: Numbered shirts come into use

From 1945 onwards, numbered shirts slowly came into use throughout Scotland.

1957: Terraces covered at Celtic Park

Between 1957 and 1971 the terraces at Celtic Park were covered and floodlights were installed.

1960: Numbered shirts compulsory in Scotland

By 1960 numbered shirts became compulsory in Scotland. Celtic were the last club in Britain to adopt the use of numbers on the team strip to identify players and wore numbers on the players' shorts.

1965: Publication of The Celtic View newspaper

In 1965, Celtic began publishing its own newspaper, The Celtic View, now the oldest club magazine in football.

1971: Floodlights installed at Celtic Park

Between 1957 and 1971 the terraces at Celtic Park were covered and floodlights were installed.

1975: Numbered shirts in European competition

From 1975 onwards, Celtic wore numbered shirts in European competition.

1977: Club crest adopted on shirts

In 1977, Celtic finally adopted the club crest on their shirts. The outer segment was reversed out, with white lettering on a green background on the team shirts. The text around the clover logo on the shirts was also shortened from the official club crest to "The Celtic Football Club".

1980: Fans fought on the pitch

In 1980, both sets of fans fought on the pitch after Celtic's victory in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park.

1984: First shirt sponsorship with CR Smith

In 1984, Celtic took up shirt sponsorship for the first time, with Fife-based double glazing firm CR Smith having their logo emblazoned on the front of the team jersey.

1988: Commemorative crest for centenary year

For their centenary year in 1988, a commemorative crest was worn, featuring the Celtic cross that appeared on their first shirts.

1989: Reinstatement of 1977 crest

For season 1989–90, the 1977 version of the Celtic crest was reinstated on the team shirts.

1990: Special Olympics European Games opening ceremony

In 1990, Celtic Park hosted the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics European Games.

1991: Shirt sponsorship with Peoples

In season 1991–92, Celtic switched to Glasgow-based car sales company Peoples as sponsors.

1992: No shirt sponsor

In 1992, the club failed to secure a shirt sponsor for season 1992–93, and for the first time since the early 1980s Celtic took to the field in "unblemished" hoops.

1993: CR Smith returns as shirt sponsors

Celtic regained shirt sponsorship for season 1993–94, with CR Smith returning as shirt sponsors in a four-year deal.

March 1994: Fergus McCann takes control

In March 1994, Fergus McCann took control of Celtic Football Club and began planning the development of a new stadium.

August 1994: Taylor Report mandate

By August 1994, the Taylor Report mandated that all major clubs should have an all-seated stadium.

1994: Numbers on shirts

In 1994, the Scottish Football League instructed Celtic to wear numbers on their shirts from the start of the 1994–95 season. Celtic responded by adding numbers to the top of their sleeves, however within a few weeks the football authorities ordered the club to attach them to the back of their shirts

1996: Increase in violence related to Old Firm matches

From 1996 to 2003, eight deaths in Glasgow were directly linked to Old Firm matches, and hundreds of assaults.

1996: Bhoys Against Bigotry campaign

In 1996, Celtic launched its Bhoys Against Bigotry campaign to "educate the young on having ... respect for all aspects of the community – all races, all colours, all creeds".

August 1998: New stadium completed

In August 1998, the phased rebuild of Celtic's new stadium was completed, costing a total of £40 million.

May 1999: Fan disorder during Old Firm match

In May 1999, there was serious fan disorder during an Old Firm match played 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.

2002: Launch of Channel67

From 2002, Celtic's Internet TV channel Channel67 broadcast Celtic's own content worldwide and offered live match coverage to subscribers outside the UK.

May 2003: UEFA Cup Final in Seville

In May 2003, an estimated 80,000 Celtic supporters, many without match tickets, travelled to Seville in Spain for the UEFA Cup Final. The club's fans subsequently received awards from UEFA and FIFA for their behaviour at the match.

2003: Increase in violence related to Old Firm matches

From 1996 to 2003, eight deaths in Glasgow were directly linked to Old Firm matches, and hundreds of assaults.

2003: Estimated fan base

In 2003, Celtic were estimated to have a fan base of nine million people, including one million in the US and Canada.

2004: Launch of Celtic TV

In 2004, Celtic launched their own digital TV channel called Celtic TV, which was available in the UK through Setanta Sports on satellite and cable platforms.

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2005: Special Olympics National Games opening ceremony

In 2005, Celtic Park hosted the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics National Games.

2005: Contract with Nike

In 2005, Celtic severed their connection with Umbro, suppliers of their kits since the 1930s and entered into a contract with Nike.

2007: Special crest for 40th anniversary of European Cup win

In 2007, to mark the 40th anniversary of their European Cup win, a special crest was introduced for the 2007–08 season.

2008: Protests over wearing the poppy

In 2008, there were protests by groups of fans over the team wearing the poppy for Remembrance Day, as the symbol is opposed by Irish Republicans owing to its association with the British military.

June 2009: Celtic TV stops broadcasting

Due to the collapse of Setanta in the UK in June 2009, Celtic TV stopped broadcasting, although the club hoped to find a new broadcast partner.

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2010: Protests over wearing the poppy

In 2010, there were protests by groups of fans over the team wearing the poppy for Remembrance Day, as the symbol is opposed by Irish Republicans owing to its association with the British military.

2011: Celtic TV relaunched as online service

In 2011, Celtic TV was relaunched as an online service and replaced Channel 67.

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2011: 12th highest average league attendance in Europe

In 2011, Celtic had the 12th highest average league attendance out of all the football clubs in Europe.

2011: UEFA investigation over pro-IRA chants

In 2011, UEFA and the Scottish Premier League investigated the club over pro-IRA chants by fans at different games. UEFA fined Celtic £12,700, while the SPL took no action, as the club had taken all reasonable action to prevent the chants.

2012: Retro style kit for 125th anniversary

In 2012, a retro style kit was designed by Nike that included narrower hoops to mark the club's 125th anniversary. A special crest was introduced with a Celtic knot design embroidered round the traditional badge. A third-choice strip based on the first strip from 1888 was also adopted for the season.

October 2013: Celtic fans ranked third best in the world

In October 2013, French football magazine So Foot published a list of whom they considered the "best" football supporters in the world. Celtic fans were placed third, the only club in Britain on the list, with the magazine highlighting their rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" before the start of European ties at Celtic Park.

2013: Stadium attendance study begins

A study of stadium attendance figures from 2013 to 2018 by the CIES Football Observatory ranked Celtic at 16th in the world during that period.

2014: Sixth highest home attendance in the UK

During the 2014–15 season, Celtic had the sixth highest home attendance in the UK.

2014: Commonwealth Games opening ceremony

In 2014, Celtic Park hosted the Opening Ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games.

March 2015: New kit deal with New Balance

In March 2015, Celtic agreed a new kit deal worth £30 million with Boston-based sportswear manufacturer New Balance to replace Nike from the start of the 2015–16 season.

July 2016: Rail seating in Celtic Park

In July 2016, Celtic Park became the first British football stadium to have a "rail seating" (safe standing) area in the ground.

November 2016: FIFA Fan Award period

The FIFA Fan Award awarded in October 2017 was for best fan moment of November 2016 to August 2017.

August 2017: FIFA Fan Award period

The FIFA Fan Award awarded in October 2017 was for best fan moment of November 2016 to August 2017.

October 2017: FIFA Fan Award for tifo

On 23 October 2017, Celtic fans were awarded with the FIFA Fan Award for their tifo commemorating the 50th anniversary of the club's European cup win. The award celebrates the best fan moment of November 2016 to August 2017.

2017: Kits tribute to the Lisbon Lions

All of the kits for the 2017–18 season paid tribute to the Lisbon Lions, with the kits having a line on each side to represent the handles of the European Cup. The kits also included a commemorative crest, designed specifically for the season.

June 2018: Stadium improvements announced

In June 2018, Celtic announced a series of stadium improvements that would be implemented before the 2018–19 season. These include the installation of new LED floodlights and a new entertainment system, a stadium-wide PA system and a new hybrid playing surface.

2018: Stadium attendance study ends

A study of stadium attendance figures from 2013 to 2018 by the CIES Football Observatory ranked Celtic at 16th in the world during that period, and their proportion of the distribution of spectators in Scotland at 36.5%, the highest of any club in the leagues examined.

March 2020: New partnership with Adidas

In March 2020, Celtic announced a new five-year partnership with Adidas starting on 1 July 2020, in a deal believed to be the biggest kit sponsorship ever in Scottish sport.

July 2020: Start of partnership with Adidas

Celtic's new five-year partnership with Adidas started on 1 July 2020.

2020: Temporary cease of The Celtic View production

In 2020, The Celtic View magazine saw a temporary cease of production due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

August 2021: Restart of Celtic View production

In August 2021, Celtic announced the restart of the production activities for the magazine 'The Celtic View', which was turned into a 100-page, quarterly publication.