CELTIC have many fans not only in Scotland, but also all around the world. Some of them are loyal to the bone, others are there for a couple seasons, and there are also a bunch of fresh ones every year. It does not matter which one you are, it matters how you show support to the team. There are many ways to do so. We will discuss only a few major ones.
Attend games
That is probably one of the most obvious ways. However, it requires devoting time and money since you need to pay for the tickets, which are not the cheapest thing. If your chosen club is playing away, you need to pay more, also considering the travel costs. If you can find a supporter’s bus going there, that might be cheaper (but you need to have a seat in a bus first). By buying tickets, especially at the home stadium of the team, you support them financially and are able to feel the emotions of the games. It is a whole new experience in soccer.
Bet your money on them
Placing a bet at the bookmaker’s shop, in the casino or on the online sports betting platform is not only an opportunity to earn a bit from it, but also showing that you believe in the team so much, that you risk with your money that they will win. Also, your bet, no matter won or lost, can go to your team since bookmakers are one of the biggest sports investors worldwide. When you bet on your team, watching their game is even more emotional since their victory or defeat is connected with your prize or money loss.
Buy official merch
To be recognisable on the match you need to have team merch. T-shirts, hats, scarfs, and jerseys are commonly used. You can also buy flags, caps or other stuff, but remember to buy from the official team shop in the first place. By buying official merchandise, you support the club financially. No one will stop and be mad at you by buying merchandise from individual creators, but you can do so after you have something official already. There are fans who buy literally everything with the team name and colours on it.
Get into the Fanclub
There are many Celtic FC fanclubs. There are chill ones, but there are also ones like The Green Brigade that are accused of being fanatical about the team. The Green Brigade has a lot of fans online, especially on Twitter and Facebook. If you want to get into one of the fanclubs, you often have to meet some criteria like telling why you love Celtic FC so the leader of the club gets to decide if you are worthy of joining or not. It might sound odd, but being in a fanclub can be beneficial for members so they can’t include everyone.
Create fanarts and merch
If you have a talent in some kind of craftsmanship, you can always create some team-related things. You do not need to sell them since this requires agreement with the law, but you can publish pics of the art online to show your support. You can make an agreement with the team officials and include your art into the official merch and pay the percent to the club from every order. By doing so, you support the club financially as well and can earn quite a lot. It doesn’t mean that everyone who creates something supporting Celtic FC is going to get rich by it, but if many people do create things like shirts or badges, one of them might be able to get promoted and start earning more.
Show support online and in real life
Do not be ashamed of being a fan. If someone asks you which team you support, answer honestly. Inform other people about Celtic FC and why they should follow them too if they are not interested in football yet. By showing support at the stadium especially if it’s a derby match against other Scottish teams (if you happen to live there), show your love for the club and scream and sing from the top of your lungs.
If you are in doubt about how to support the team, just think if there is a movie or a TV series where main characters have something like a club they all love and support throughout the whole story. That is what it’s all about. The feeling of standing together is unmatchable by anything else.
Someone insults your team online or on the streets? This does not mean that you have a fight with them. They insult you because they do not know anything about the club, but if you explain to them, maybe they would join the team too, or at least start to respect their opponent instead of being a jerk. That is what we call supporting-educating someone who doesn’t really care about football and everything else connected to it, or does not understand what is fair play.
Even when the team loses, you stand by their side
That is the most important feature of the fan. Being there when they are victorious is a piece of cake, but standing your ground during defeat is a real fan spirit. Always tell yourself that no matter what the team does, you still love them and support them. Even when they are in last place on the league table, this doesn’t mean that they suck. They just have a tough period, but if you will believe in them and send your love to the pitch instead of focusing on their losses only, they might get up from their knees and return your love with victories.
