Revealed: Celtic’s contributions to Scottish economy

A report commissioned by Celtic has revealed how much of an impact the Hoops have in the local economy.

Economists from the Fraser of Allander Institute have examined the spending of the club and its fans in the 2016-17 season.

Chief executive Peter Lawwell is quoted by BBC Sport as saying:

The economic contribution from football, and Celtic in particular, is consistently undervalued,

According to the BBC Sport article, the report claims:

• Celtic and their supporters contributed £165m in 2016-17 to the Scottish economy
• The spending helped support the equivalent of 2,820 full-time equivalent jobs
• Celtic Park is the seventh most popular visitor destination in Scotland
• Celtic FC is the 25th strongest brand in world football
• Celtic’s club website ranks 23rd in world football for “hits”, with more than one third coming from outside Scotland
• More than 40% of Celtic’s day-to-day spending was with Scottish firms

By contrast, the golf tourism industry brings roughly £157 million, whereas the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games was valued at £125 million.

Lawwell went on to say:

While a huge amount of attention is rightly paid to one-off events like the Commonwealth Games and other activities which attract interest to Scotland and Glasgow, football’s economic contribution tends to be overlooked – yet it brings people here from around the world,