The Green Brigade and Bhoys Celtic fan groups have turned out in numbers, alongside thousands more, for the SWPL 1 title decider at Celtic Park this afternoon.
Fran Alonso’s side have kicked off at Paradise against Hearts knowing they need a victory to have a chance of picking up their first league title, with a Glasgow City defeat or draw needed against Rangers elsewhere.
It’s title drama that has caught the imagination of the support, with over 15,000 attending at Celtic Park for the 4:10 pm kick-off. A stunning display welcomed the teams pre-match including a banner which read, “Dream that dream, Paradise is yours.” You can see a video embedded below or via this link from Twitter user @hargi_.
There are no goals yet at the time of publishing but the fans are making loads of noise across what is being dubbed ‘The Celtic End’, with many more taking their seats in the North Stand and even the Lisbon Lions stand.
It’s been fantastic to witness immense growth in interest of the women’s team over the last couple of seasons. Last year’s cup win attracted great attention, while the year prior also saw some exciting title-defining clashes in the tail-end of the campaign.
The next step now is to finally win a league. If it doesn’t happen today, then Celtic will assuredly be in the mix for the honours again after the summer.
A second-place finish at the end of today would at least qualify the team for next season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League, which is crucial for their development.
Today’s fixture is live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website if you’re late to the party. With Celtic on the front foot and on the hunt for goals, it could turn out to be a famous afternoon yet.
In other news, Kenny Dalglish makes promising summer Celtic transfer prediction.
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