Yesterday was a day pronouncements and predictions on Planet Fitba.
Of course, in these troubling times, it is comforting to see that somethings have not changed.
Therefore, it was reassuring to see the little hand pointing to Statement O’clock at the Sevco Montessori.
It even elicited this response from one of their low-calorie cousins down Tynecastle way.
However, a far more serious statement was issued from Hampden.
The Coronavirus Joint Response Group did not hold back:
The game in Scotland depends on ticket revenue far more than the vast majority of professional leagues across Europe. We usually see over five million supporters per season attending Scottish league matches – with 43% of all revenue generated via gate receipts.
The prospect of that vital income being lost for the majority of the season – far less in its entirety – could be catastrophic for many of our clubs. We are committed to working with government to avert that crisis.
You can read the entire statement here.
Neil Lennon lent his support to that apocalyptic analysis.
“Dangerous precipice”.
It is difficult to argue with his reasoning on this issue.
Yesterday I caught up with a well-placed source who has a granular understanding of Celtic’s financial model.
He told me that despite the virtual season ticket revenue and the record-breaking merchandise deal with Adidas the champions of Scotland are now financially hurting due to the pandemic.
He told me that the crunched numbers over several recent seasons had revealed the importance of what he called the “causal emotional fan” on matchday.
By that he meant non-season ticket holders turning up for a match.
Ther folks at Celtic know from experience that such fans tended to be high spenders.
He told me that a couple attending a game, buying their tickets on the day or the day before, tended to spend a MINIMUM of £250 per couple on the Celtic Park campus.
As I have pointed out before, at the start of the pandemic lockdown, the champions of Scotland were cash-rich with access to significant merchandising revenues and a £30m overdraft.
My understanding is that much of those reserves have been expended.
Now, if the wealthiest club in Scotland is hurting financially what of all the others?
Of course, the Stenography Corps are on succulent orders to pretend that everything id finically rosy in the Ibrox garden.
It isn’t
It isn’t at all.
However, whatever befalls the current Sevco mhi9gh Command as they struggle on a daily basis to keep the lights on, we know that their franchise is immortal.
2012 proved that when they won the Liquidation Cup.
Apparently, this didn’t happen although I have yet to see this front page denied by anyone on the Herald sports desk.
What is undeniable is that a season in Scotland with empty stadiums is an Extinction Level Event for many clubs in Fair Caledonia.
So I suppose we should be grateful for Sevco to the light relief that their statements give to all of us on Planet Fitba.
In every sense of the Pandemic, there is a tough winter ahead.
Please stay safe and ignore the idiots amongst us.
This is not a drill.
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Celtic TV can’t provide a half decent product to existing subscribers and VSB holders nevermind adding to the mix
You are an absolute joke of a journalist Phil mcghobalotashite , your obsession with Glasgow Rangers knows no bounds , focus on your clubs misgivings and misfortunes, this constant infatuation with our finances is embarrassing, all this nonsense about needing money to keep the lights on is total ludicrous, we have money , get over it and we won’t be going into administration as you like to keep telling your impressionable audience , how can you be a journalist of any importance when you can’t even say Ranger’s name and our managers name Steven Gerrard it’s pathetic and childish , as i said before focus on your own club and about your there finances which btw can’t be that great with no champions League money 3 years in a row WATP
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
HAIL! HAIL!🍀 And an Amen to that,of course,it makes way too much sense even for consideration…
Well how would you feel if you were virtual season ticket holders at the cost of £500+. After you cough up the money you find out your club are selling PPV for their home games on rangers TV for £9.99. So you could get your virtual season ticket for £189.81.
Think that’s why celtic aren’t doing that. I almost feel sorry for sevco fans, almost 😅
I love my footy and Celtic and Iunderstand that my Club like many others and indeed my other businesses are struggling through this pandemic.
But I do not think for one second that while families are struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table that our Government should bail out the football industry any differently than they have others.
How many times have senior figures in the game and media justified spending, excusing sickeningly large wages by claiming that this going rate for the industry we are in and why should I/we feel bad about it. Chris Sutton one of my fav pundits is vocal on this viewpoint.
No way should the Government be funding businesses to allow them to continue paying players their massive wages.
Players need to step up themselves and save the hand that feeds them not the taxpayer.
I wish every Club in Scotland (well nearly every club) all the best getting through it because I like the game, but when it hits the fan, that’s all it is.
I agree that Hearts were unfortunate but the SPFL were following the example set by other leagues around Europe by curtailing the season and settling titles, promotion and relegation on a points per game basis.
As for Celtic being “gifted the title” they would have to have dropped 14 points in their remaining 8 matches with Rangers securing maximum points in theirs. A very unlikely scenario since Celtic had dropped only 10 points in their previous 30 matches and Rangers were in a very poor run of form.
Hearts tried to do this when they were ridiculously evicted from the Premiership but received no backing from Celtic or their fans. No point moaning now it’s too late. Doncaster and co should have gone for the way they handled the issue of ending the league ( something that was driven by Celtic being gifted the league ) and the two ruling bodies rolled into one.
Too many clubs only interested in self preservation and the rule that no club or ruling body would do no harm to another member was throw under a bus.
The whole pandemic ending of the season SHOULD have resulted in Doncaster etal taking the lead and making sure ALL clubs did bot suffer unduly.
Maybe if Celtic had stood up and been counted as the countries biggest club they could have used their influence to lead the rest to do the right thing.
Sevco last season charged gate money from their first euro qualifiers, Celtic were free to season ticket holders, with no home fans at these qualifying rounds, both clubs will be feelings the financial loss.
More so sevco who needed £7m around Christmas to see out the season.
Unlike Celtic, sevco were dependent on this gate money to survive on a week to week basis, This season travel expenses to away ties, no hospitality, no over charging their fans for tickets, as yet no players sold.
There’s no way they can maintain this financial burden…administration will be the only option.
The better option might actually be an enforced ‘correction’ to the Scottish game?
Short-term pain and disruption – for a stronger, better future?
This could be an opportunity;
– an opportunity to dismantle and replace The SFA and SPFL.
– an opportunity to make both the clubs and the game’s administrators more accountable to the paying customers.
So why don’t Celtic open up the home games on a pay per view status for non season ticket ho,ders. They’re denying a great source of revenue. Or Club 1888 anyone? 😂😂😂😂