[Official TC Thread] General Fan Action & Sack the Board Thread - TalkCeltic Signed letter

Has there been any plans discussed re more protests being made as it seems awfully quiet on that front?

 

There’s 2 meetings this week happening


One with the steering group and a wider meeting on Thursday

 

Cheers m8

 

No worries

 

Good news as its clear we need to take the next step and escalate the protest.

 

I see West Ham fans collective are organising a home boycott on Monday..

Quite extreme, and difficult to draw similarities between clubs.

Are we at that stage here? Perhaps..

 

Will be interesting to see how it's perceived and how well observed it is.

Our fans need to be aware, at some stage that may be our action as well.
Maybe.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

 

Realistically no and I think the stint of games away from home temporarily took a bit of wind out of the protests. I think now's the time to start rebuilding momentum for the protests. A lot of the talks are working to subdue the wider fan base, though.

 

Yes, absolutely they were lucky with the way the fixtures worked out and also it has understandably taken a bit of time for the Collective to organise themselves, if it had been a bit quicker the Europa League would have been targeted, collectively.

The difficulty will be for the steering group to agree a course of action that everyone is behind.

Its important to stay united and it may take some time and take some action that affects the team, to bring about change.

 

Maybe not quite at that stage yet but very likely we are heading there given how far removed from reality this board and Desmond seem to be.

 

I think sadly its very possible we may need to go down that road also. Hopefully not but it would not surprise me if we needed to.

 

Organising a mass protest when you are in the relegation zone with one win is a very different thing from trying to organise a mass protest when you are winning every week. Even then there seems to be a bit of a nasty split between west hams fans supporting it and those not.

Thats no criticism of our fans protests, but realistically there will never be a mass walk out of celtic park until we stop winning most of the time. If that happens I sense the mood will be completely different.

 

Talk of the Club agreeing to a Fan Advisory Board..

It would be a start..

 

From the Celtic Way



Celtic are considering forming a Fan Advisory Board, a move that could finally begin to repair the club’s strained relationship with the support. How such a board works, and whether it truly shifts the dynamics at Parkhead, will depend on what Celtic learn from the best examples elsewhere.



The discontent around Celtic Park and beyond hasn't been hard to find this season after the club emerged from a difficult summer without Champions League qualification and serious question marks around their transfer window.

That has driven a sustained and organised campaign from supporters seeking change at Celtic. Alongside the creation of a new fan collective, protests have taken place at most matches this season, which resulted in the club meeting with different supporter organisations last week to discuss ongoing concerns.

This meeting did little to restore trust in the short term. Collective representatives concluded that the club had shown a lack of 'humility, awareness and accountability' during the meeting. Detailed minutes later released drew a cold reception from many in the wider support base, too.

However, Chief Executive Michael Nicholson did confirm that a Fan Advisory Board (FAB) is being discussed internally at the club as part of its broader supporter engagement strategy. The Celtic Way understands that this endeavour was not launched in reaction to protests this season, but has been a consideration of the club for some time.

George Campbell, the club's Head of Legal and Governance, explained that there is an ongoing review of the practicalities of its introduction, which will include further discussions with clubs in England operating similar structures. As it stands, the club haven't committed to a timeline to finalise these plans, but have agreed to continue dialogue with supporter groups following this examination





Celtic need a modern way forward
The Scottish champions currently operate a very informal fan engagement initiative with their 'Fans Forum', which allows anyone to apply to attend regular meetings and discuss a variety of club topics with senior officials, including football strategy. However, the perception of many is that this is a tick box exercise, and there's a lack of evidence that the club take it especially seriously. This isn't helped by the delayed release of minutes, months after the meetings take place.

A strong FAB would be structured, visible, and genuinely influential. At their best, they give supporters a formal, representative and regular route into non-footballing strategy at a football club. This would include ticketing, away allocations, stadium operations, equality and inclusion, heritage and communications. They can shape how the club treats those who fill the stands and effectively fund the business.

Following the UK Government’s Fan-Led Review in 2021, the English Premier League introduced the Fan Engagement Standard, requiring every club to publish an annual engagement plan and nominate a board-level official responsible for fan relations and the operation of the FAB. That’s a critical aspect in a body of this nature: it would turn vague assurances of Celtic listening into a more formal process that requires accountability.

Liverpool offer a developed example. Their Supporters Board has sixteen volunteer representatives, administered by Spirit of Shankly, with reserved places for groups such as the Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association. Crucially, the chair is invited to attend club board meetings when fan-facing strategic matters arise. This is a million miles away from how Celtic currently deal with big issues.

If Celtic got this wrong, two problems would be apparent: tokenism and lack of transparency. It can't be a venting session once decisions have already been made. Any obfuscation around the rules, process, or minutes of such a body would also risk leaving supporters unsure what the FAB is for and would simply do further damage.

Celtic have to avoid both of these traps if the exercise is to be genuinely beneficial to the club. Right now, the club's board comes across as fearing conflict with the support. They must build processes that can handle what is the natural dynamic between a passionate fanbase and the goals of a business-focused PLC.









Building a strong model
The leading examples all share certain traits, and Celtic should adapt those principles to fit their own identity. Representation and independence are essential. Any FAB would have to include voices from established supporter networks while also leaving space for open applications from those with relevant expertise or perspectives not yet represented.

Celtic would also have to consider naming a board-level owner for fan engagement. Assigning a visible non-executive director would make accountability clear and demonstrate that the board itself values this work.

To earn the credibility and trust of supporters, the chair of any FAB should have the right to attend board meetings when matters that directly impact supporters' experiences are discussed.

Ultimately, the measure of success on all of this would not just be press releases becoming more palatable, but decisions that look different because of the FAB. That might mean a change to ticket pricing bands, a new policy on away allocations after consultation, or an improvement to the stadium prompted by fan input. All of these issues are currently being debated amongst supporters this season.

Most importantly, it should allow for more responsive engagement. When issues arise suddenly - as they often do in Scottish football - supporters shouldn’t have to wait months for the next scheduled meeting. The terms of reference should allow for interim consultations or written advice.

Out of crisis comes opportunity
Celtic are currently mired in a PR crisis of their own making, given the way they've handled the fallout from the summer. However, they are aware of the rising expectations for meaningful engagement across the UK, even if the Premier League’s Fan Engagement Standard doesn’t apply in Scotland. Given that tens of millions in annual revenue come directly from regular rank-and-file supporters, they can't afford to get their next steps wrong.

That support is asking for more clarity, sooner, on decisions that affect them. A well-designed FAB won’t solve every grievance, and shouldn’t pretend to, but it can shift a culture from sporadic, tone-deaf statements to routine, genuine engagement. Even if a fan board becomes a forum for friction, that’s fine, provided the structure can absorb disagreement. The alternative, silence and disengagement, is far worse.

The expectation will now be that the Celtic board follow through on their stated intent here. That means coming back with a timeline for consultation. Eventually, it will mean publishing draft terms of reference and inviting comment, explaining how seats will be filled, naming the board-level owner of the project, and committing to transparency. Then it means sticking to those promises.

Supporters are asking fair questions. The club have responded tepidly. The next part is even harder, but it’s also where trust is built. If Celtic get this right, they can bring the club’s biggest stakeholders back into the conversation in a meaningful way. The next move will show whether Celtic truly want to listen, or simply want to be seen to.

 

Hopefully a step in the right direction

 

Fingers crossed mate

 

Wouldn't trust it at least not long term.

 

It would make sense that the group would be made up of the Collective/Steering Group, with maybe a bit of rotation every so often.. there's a group/mechanism at hand..

What aspect, wouldn't you trust? Or do you mean you wouldn't trust the Board to pay much attention?

 

The latter. I feel the board will entertain it especially to subdue any wider protests but I think ultimately they'll look after their own pockets.