Celtic Park developments and what is needed next

I was at the Allianz Arena when we visited on Champions League duty this season.  There are many reasons to like the Munich stadium (although navigating back to the bus was not one of them), but stadium lights were like nothing I had ever seen.

Not only do they illuminate the Arena to a near-daylight level, they can instantly flash on and off, creating a spectacular pre-match lightshow.  Tools like this improve stadium atmosphere as well as providing a more striking event for TV viewers.  Celtic Park will be transformed when we install these lights this summer.

A new hybrid pitch (part grass, part plastic) will provide the very best surface available anywhere in the world.  It will be durable and bowling green-smooth.

Money will also be spent on the roof, which is the Achilles heel of the stadium.  The design is prone to leaks and makes it difficult for public address and wifi systems to effectively reach spectators.  A seven figure sum will be spent on the roof, but we need to realise a fundamental rethink is required.

As international tournaments reached Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine and now Russia, closing roofs were installed at stadiums.  This increases attendance, game-experience, time inside the stadium and makes the game attractive to new attendees, who would never consider sitting in an exposed wind 147 steps in the air.

This technology has never been more affordable and is the norm from Kazakhstan to Cardiff.  It needs to come to Celtic Park.  I suspect those who sit in the South Stand do not have a full grasp on the match day experience of those in the upper sections of the rest of the stadium.

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