What do you think of Hearts putting Save the Children on their shirts? Perhaps more appropriately, how will Hearts fans feel about their club this morning? When the next invitation to buy a season ticket, or shop for merchandise email arrives, what’s going to be the instinctive reaction?
Hearts fans are an unpredictable lot, but if this was Celtic, first to grab the headlines on Living Wage, then following up with a charity on the shirt, we would be bursting with pride, or what marketing people call brand affinity.
A football club affinity is a choice. Most of us were handed our team before we were out of nappies but we still choose the extent of our affinity – to buy the next ticket. Celtic fans have a notion that we are more of a Movement of people than a typical support – I am only here because I subscribe wholeheartedly to this notion.
For this to make any sense, we need Celtic to be the most ethical football club on the planet.
World leadership sounds ambitious, but the market for ethical football leadership is a bit thin. Between organised criminals, thuggish bullies, kleptocratic politician-owners, tax cheats, money launderers and what can only be described as disorganised criminals at one particular club, the market is wide open. This is Celtic’s natural territory. And it’s profitable!
We buy into what we see as the sentiment behind a football club and if we see Celtic championing ethical wins, we feel connected to the club.
Let’s be clear: Celtic ARE one of the most ethical clubs on the planet. The Foundation is not the biggest in the world, but it is supported by fans and club alone, not petrodollars looking for a home. Celtic FC Foundation feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, aide the needy, include the excluded. They do this in your name and it’s an integral part of the club’s mission.
We are part of the story too. You and I are part of the Foundation but Celtic fans also evangelise the ethics and standards of our club in our own small ways. What Celtic fan groups have achieved is staggering.
We have a backstory which any brand in business would kill for. Formed to feed starving children! What a story. It you planned the profile of the most ethical football club in the world you couldn’t dream up a better beginning, a better corporate story, or a better community engagement. The ingredients are all there.
Hearts fans will WANT to buy into what their club is doing this morning because their club has become ethically aspirational over a short period of time. Hearts haven’t began to scratch the surface of Celtic’s ethical marks. We are peerless in UK football – and that’s not an idle boast.
So why am I boring you with all this stuff you know already? It’s time we started to wear our colours on our sleeve, if not our chests.
‘We are Celtic, born to feed the hungry in 1888, today we not only feed the hungry, we do so much more. Come and join us.’
Make this our mission. Commit wholeheartedly, lead with it. Always. Every contact I have with the club should remind me why I’m a Celtic fan. Be confident of its resonance with fans, and all the business objectives we worry about achieving will fall into place.
On the subject………
We are close to our target of paying for another school kitchen in Malawi for Mary’s Meals, this auction will push us over the line…………
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All day Hospitality for 4 based at the Eden Mill Distillery for the Open Golf Championship at St Andrews on any day to suit from 16 to 19 July 2015. Auction in aid of the Celtic Quick News (CQN) appeal to build a fourth school kitchen in Malawi for Mary’s Meals. Shuttle transport for the five minute journey to and from the golf course as needed Beer, Gin and Whisky tastings throughout the day with the master distiller. The chance to create a unique CQN single malt whisky cask worth potentially £5000 for future CQN charities. A bottle of this very special single malt whisky to commemorate the great day when it is bottled in several years. Eden Mill is Scotland’s newest and most innovative distillery and brewery incorporated in February 2012! Located just 2 miles from the famous Old Course itself it provides a perfect base for hospitality for yourself and 3 friends on a day of your choosing at the forthcoming open golf championship on July 16th to 19th. But this is so much more than just a day’s hospitality at the home of golf. Before taking to the course to watch the you will enjoy a breakfast roll or two and discuss your perfect single malt whisky with the master distiller. Whilst you and your friends are enjoying the golf he will seek to surpass your favourite whisky by using the best barley to create the right wash and recommending the right type of barrels for our very own unique CQN 1/4 cask of single malt. A cask which will mature and provide over £5000 of future funding for our charities in a few years time. You will return to the distillery by shuttle bus for lunch and an optional beer tasting and then for afternoon tea with a tutored gin and whisky tasting with the owner capping off a memorable, unique and very special day for your group and for CQN.
My thanks to Eden Mill for their incredible support. You can bid on the auction here. |
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Sipsini
Very interesting article
Officially Lent end tonight.
How individuals see it is up to them.
BSR-Great post.
Beefy 21.27. A post that I can totally concur with.
The Hearts shirt deal relates to an anonymous wealthy benefactor who has put in a sum of money to 50% support the charity of choice and 50% support his/her team. For the club it is a windfall – good luck to them but that is what it is.
Praising them on this is like commending a lottery winner for their wisdom in buying the ticket.
Hearts have a long way to go before they are anywhere near our Celtic.
Delaneys Dunky
Ha ha
Bacardi and coke !!! Naw , just diet COKE
No stimulants or euph .. Eh ufa
nothing sexual implied lol
Nae Coke for me till Easter Sunday( settle down)…no juice of any sort…and no Meat Tomorrow…Heathens….
fourgreenfields
21:21 on 2 April, 2015
jamesgang
Are you on at the Comedy Club tomorrow night :-))
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Yep, the big chap would go down a storm.
WC, as I said, we have 127 head start on the charitable front.
Marspapa – you have mail
marspapa 20:54 on 2 April, 2015……….
Ok pal???
Aye, you mean, Luis Antonio Tagle…. Some guy!
Not quite up there with Cardinal Sin (aye, really) yet, early days though but a much loved priest, with , as you say, a very calm demeanour…
Anyway pal, see you next week.
GDC on the menu for sure…………
Thoughts with you and yours.
Regards & Hail Hail
TBM
Winning Captains….poor post…..its like you ask a woman out…she says No….you say….Cool , i didnae fancy her anywi…
Doc –
you said “Officially Lent ends tonight”
But how about arithmetically, this being 6 weeks and a day after Ash Wednesday? ;-)
sipsini
True mate :-))
Or is it tomorrow Lent ends?
But it’s not Sunday.
Good on any club that pursues a charitable ethos. I’m interested in Celtic and we are getting better at it.
fansshowthewayCsc
When I was a wean in Cork. Sundays and St. Patrick’s day were exempted for kids and everyone was exempted on Paddy’s Day..
Even my ol’ Grandad who was a very religious man and would always give up his cigs and porter for Lent, would break out on St. Patrick’s Day.
Bgx
No meat !! Better not look at the SABRINA VID haha
Jobo,
Just a personal view, your days and calculations on ending Easter are correct, but Canon Mac not :-)
Easter abstinence finishes after the Holy Saturday, Solemn Vigil
40 days
Hail Hail
RC
If feels like Friday night music night? ;-)
Bada
HH
fourgreenfields
I’m there every week pal.
If you give me your ticket Sir I’ll fetch your coat Sir!
CloakroomAttendantCSC
HH jamesgang
winning captains…or ….Your suits nice…but my suit is better than your suit….pretty pathetic…
Hi Jobo
I replied :-)
Jobo,
From memory, and I’m not looking it up, Lent doesn’t last until Easter Sunday, it ends tonight(Last Supper) or tomorrow(Crucifixtion). I spent a bit of time in my youth studying this.
That is a fair few years ago.
Marspapa….Until Monday….fixed that for you mate…laughing…
jamesgang
VG mate :-))
I knew you would come back with a good reply .
Imo, Lent ended earlier today, before the Mass of the Last Supper.
Four Green Fields, I hope you both have a tremedous time in Dortmund.
Are you sure its a birthday gift for your son or a late birthday present for yourself lol
The Westfalen/Signal Iduna, will be the place to be this weekend, after New St Mirren park tomorrow to state the obvious.
Have a safe journey and a brilliant time.
FGF
Enjoy yer trip …sounds great
Looking forward to weekend myself …got the students back on Saturday …first time they’ve been back together since Christmas
I’ll be fed up of them by Monday tho :-))
Have a great time mate
HH
Bgx
I only abstain from chocolate and crsps haha
FGF
Hope you and your Bhoy have fabulous trip, and enjoy the experience Bhud
Hail Hail
I always had a soft spot for Ken Rosewall. Thought he was the best.
Ok, as there was confusion I looked it up, officially Lent ends today, my memory didn’t fail me.
Whether you individually carry on your fast until Sunday is a personal choice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zOKtfbHlhSw
The Waterboys
Sweet Thing
Bsr is to blame for the next 2 hrs HH
How long after the ‘when does lent end’ debate does the poppy debate start?
dallas dallas where the heck is dallas
Cheers mate , as long as Celtic win against St.Mirren to start it all off .
HH
BGX
see you are at it again ,winding people up/can’t wait for someone to challenge you to a square go.it happens on here you know.
big ps.have you got a pal.????
FGF
Dude I hope you and the Bhoy have an amazing time away.
God bless Ya pal.
HH jamesgang