Every Celtic supporter has their own way of following the club. Some have season tickets. Some travel home and away every single week. Some never miss a European night beneath the Paradise lights. My own version has always looked a little different, but it has never been any less heartfelt.
Today, I renewed my CelticTV pass.
For many people, that might seem like nothing more than another subscription, another payment leaving a bank account.
For me, it has never been that simple. It is my season ticket.
It is my little piece of Paradise from hundreds of miles away. It is my way of contributing to the club I love with my whole heart. It is my quiet promise that, no matter where I happen to be in the world, Celtic will always come first.
Every renewal feels like an act of devotion. I never hesitate. I never wonder whether it is worth it, because supporting Celtic has never been about convenience. It has never been about success alone. It has always been about belonging.
For years, I have happily given my money to Celtic because I wanted to. I believed every little contribution mattered. My CelticTV pass has always been part of that, and it still is.
But it has never stopped there.
I have always made the journey back to Scotland as often as I possibly could. Every visit feels like coming home, even though I was born somewhere else. There is something about seeing the first glimpse of Glasgow, knowing Paradise is waiting, that settles something inside me that nowhere else ever can.
And, just like so many supporters, I have always had another tradition.
I rarely left without walking into the Celtic Store.
It almost became a ritual. A scarf. A training top. A mug. A programme. A hoodie. Something green and white that would travel home with me and become another little reminder of the place where my heart truly belongs.
I never really needed an excuse to buy something. I simply wanted to support the club. I wanted to feel that, in my own wee way, I was putting something back into Celtic. I never regretted spending that money.
Not once. But something has changed.
Not my love for Celtic. That could never change. Not my commitment. Certainly not my passion. What has changed is my belief that continuing to spend without question is the right thing to do.
Sometimes supporting your football club means applauding every decision. Sometimes it means trusting the people running it. And sometimes supporting your football club means telling them that enough is enough.
That is where I find myself today.
I have renewed my CelticTV pass because that is for the football. That is for the players. That is for Martin O’Neill and his staff. That is for every supporter watching alongside me. That is for the ninety minutes that still make my heart race like nothing else can.
But when I return in August, another tradition will come to an end. For the first time in years, I will not be walking into the Celtic Store to spend my money.
Not because I suddenly do not want another Celtic shirt. Not because I would not love another scarf to add to my ever-growing collection. Not because I have stopped loving everything those green and white colours represent.
Quite the opposite. I will not be spending another penny because this time my money has another purpose.
This time, my wallet is joining The Collective campaign.
Supporters have often been told, directly or indirectly, that they have no real voice. That once tickets are sold and merchandise is bought, the board can continue exactly as before. But money has always spoken, perhaps more loudly than words ever can.
I believe supporters have every right to decide where their money goes. That is not disloyalty. That is not turning your back on Celtic. If anything, it comes from loving the club too much to stay silent.
I do not find this enjoyable. I genuinely do not.
Walking into the Celtic Store has always been one of my favourite moments whenever I come back. There is something wonderfully simple about being surrounded by green and white, seeing children choosing their first Celtic shirt, watching families leave with bags full of memories they will treasure.
I will miss that more than people probably realise. But principles sometimes ask us to sacrifice the things we enjoy.
If this Collective campaign is to mean anything at all, then it has to involve action. Real action.
Not just words shared online. Not just frustration after another disappointing transfer window. Not just another promise that something has to change.
Action. Mine begins with choosing not to spend another penny in the Celtic Store this August.
Will my decision alone change anything?
No, and I am realistic enough to know that. But collective action has never been about one person. It has always been about thousands of individual decisions coming together to create one unmistakable message.
That is why I believe this matters.
Because I can still support Celtic while refusing to endorse decisions I fundamentally disagree with. Those two things are not contradictions. They exist together. They always have.
The board is not Celtic. The executives are not Celtic.
The supporters are Celtic. The players are Celtic. The history is Celtic. The songs echoing around Paradise are Celtic. The little girl buying her first scarf is Celtic. The grandfather taking his grandson to his first match is Celtic. The supporter travelling across continents just to stand inside Celtic Park for a few precious hours is Celtic.
That is Celtic. And that is exactly why this matters so much.
I do not want less for this football club. I want more. More ambition. More courage. More respect for a support that has given everything for generations.
I have never expected perfection. No football club is perfect. I simply expect ambition worthy of the badge.
So yes, I renewed my CelticTV pass without a second thought. That is still my season ticket. That is still my contribution to the club I love. That will never feel like money wasted.
But when I walk around Glasgow in August, when I pass the Celtic Store, when every instinct tells me to go inside and come home with yet another piece of Paradise, I will keep walking.
Not because I love Celtic any less. But because I love Celtic enough to act. Because I believe this club deserves better.
Sometimes devotion is not measured by how much you spend. Sometimes devotion is measured by what you are prepared to give up for the good of the club you will love for the rest of your life.
That is exactly what I intend to do. And, for the first time in many years, I will leave Glasgow without another Celtic Store bag in my hands.
It will not be easy. But it will be the right thing to do.
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Not another penny should mean not another penny. There are other ways of watching the game.
Celtic dont ” own” celtic tv mate, its a third party. Thats how celtic roll.
What? Where does the subscription money go to? Serious question?
Good piece Paulina , what some supporters want with regards to giving up season tickets is unrealistic, supporters have had their seats for many years & the fear of losing them could mean never getting them back, particularly if they are in their 40s or 50s , I believe the supporters who clamber for supporters to give up season tickets don’t actually have one , and just like to bump their gums on various blogs , I agree with you , not buying merchandise ie shirts programs mugs & everything else, particularly with the Adidas logo on it will soon take affect, then the collective will get stronger, it may take time , but Rome wasn’t built in a day , we may need someone who is strong & got money to come in and give us a hand , the board are so embedded in the club , I fear a money man with football ambitions is our only hope , keep up the good work , HH .
I applaud your decision Paulina and hope that by denying yourself, adds to many others like you
However!!!!
Imagine the scenario…wee boy/girl on their birthday/Christmas morning waking up without the strip/training top, they had their hearts set on . Mum & dad feeling like crap for not getting them their wishlist item. Wee broken hearts feeling miserable all day, because the 1 thing they wanted so much, hasn’t arrived.
These buffoons who run our club know fine well there’ll be 1000s of kids wanting merchandise. They are no fools when it comes to knowing how much Celtic means to people.
I cast my mind back 30 years when my own daughter became aware of Celtic. The Martin O’Neill team she loved…petrol…Lambert…Lennon..hartson… Sutton etc, all became instant god like figures to her…down came the source girl posters and up went anything related to Celtic…..then came Henrik….enough said……forward on to the present day and my 18 year old grandson has followed in his mum’s, grans, and granddad’s footsteps.
Both my daughter and grandson have marked their bodies for life, to show their love of the club…this is what Celtic dies to you…it literally gets under your skin……..and these people know it!!!!
They know fine well, when push comes to shove, the emotional pull of Celtic will be too great to ignore, and folk will relent.
I’ve written a few times re this matter, and for me, the only action I can see having any effect is a boycott. Not coming in 5 mins after kick off…not throwing tennis balls onto the park etc…i mean, not turning up for the games.
For many, I know this would be like cutting off their right arms, but to have any meaning at all, I think it’s the only language the golfing landlord and his caddies will understand.
I think Desmond is a stubborn old man, and would cut his nose off to spite his face, but surely, by this extreme measure, even the organ grinders monkey’s would start to twitch when they see their bonus payments being cut?
The next few weeks will determine our season. If we get bodies in the door, then great….if we don’t, and he has already warned them, our captain will leave and others will follow….the house of cards might just crumble !!!!
I hope I’m wrong
Agree , start the boycott with both friendly matches, & and any Europa league games IF we don’t qualify for Champions League, support the team in the Domestic programme, we as fans need to get together on any way possible to hit these guys financially, but try to still support the team. HH
Its already crumbling right before your very eyes. Wake the fuck up. Do you really think we are CL ready forget the spfl. Look at hearts, 7 in aberdeen 9 in, huns 4 in, hibs 3 in. Us 1. Get a grip.
Well said, eldraco. Is it any wonder we are in the position we are in when we have fans who think boycotting a couple of friendly matches will get us anywhere?
“WAKE THE FUCK UP” indeed.
You know what I’m finished putting across an opinion when half-wits like R Cook resort to cursing & swearing, your acting like a hun , so you wake the F**K Up , P***K
Everyone supports the club the way they can, some have ST’s, many don’t. As a family we buy a lot of merchandise, I supported NAP last season but will not continue this season. I understand the emotional ties that comes with a season ticket and what the impact of giving it up would have, however after pumping £30m+ into the club you cannot then ask us not to purchase what we want to buy. It’s like saying we get to spend our money on Celtic but you can’t. If I understand why ST holders renewed, they should respect how other fans feel also.
Nail on head.
Very well said, Dan. Certain f@ckin’ arseholes need to understand what it takes to give up a ST. It’s not a decision made on the spur of the moment. It’s one, on my part, that took countless restless nights over several seasons. It angers me no end when i see arseholes like “wilkinney1” stating on another thread that folk like me never had a ST in the first place. He should keep his f@ckin’ mouth shut and respect what others have had to do in their own protests. And Dan, i don’t blame you one bit for no longer supporting NAP. Because ‘The Collective’ etc are not ramping up the fightback. You just keep doing whatever you feel you can do protest wise. But until someone pulls us *ALL* together in one direction we will get nowhere. And until that happens i’ll continue with my own commitments to the protests. No ST, no Celtic TV and i’ll continue to support NAP.
CORRECTION: wilkinney1’s utter shite is not on another thread. It’s on this thread up near the top. And just for his info, i’ve been wrestling with giving mine up ever since we as a club supported not stripping *Rangers of titles and trophies. So before spouting shite again, make sure you know what you’re talking about.
You really love cursing & swearing , I can change my opinion about how I think about certain things people say , it is after all freedom of speech, But you’ll still be a P***K .
To relinquish your ST is just not an option for fans, it has an emotional appeal which far exceeds their dislike of this Board. Likewise, the NAP more campaign is unfair on the non ST holders, so we cannot expect them to do this.
So what will get this inept and neglectful Board to take some action? I believe that a total boycott of a number of home games would get some response, particularly if it was organised in a coherent way by the Collective and others, otherwise we will just continue to chase our tails with no impact at all
Broony008, thank you for seeing both sides and I agree on the boycotts
I really can’t dismiss the thought that this piece was really written about James renewing his ST and why we should support NAP, sneaky if correct
I initially thought the same but I think James is capable of fighting his own battles.
ST gives you a vote, nothing gives you nothing and no i dont have a ST.
A protest vote. Nothing meaningful
Although I agree with the sentiment and the right to protest I’ll still be buying Celtic related gifts for my grandsons upcoming birthday
Just a suggestion:Why don’t the so called Celtic Collective set up a charity fund and donate what they would’ve spent in the Celtic shop to the funds
The money could be distributed at the end of the season
This would be a much bigger statement than chants delayed entry to games and throwing tennis balls
So to summarise:
Not a penny more means:
Buy season tickets
Buy celtic tv subs
But maybe don’t buy anything else….
Looks about it in a nutshell, dickyme. We’ll soon have this board begging for mercy.
LOL