Celtic have entered a new era when it comes to their media relations and communications by inviting supporter-led outlets into the traditional broadcast press conference on a regular basis.
The club have created a rota of the many different fan podcasts, YouTube channels, websites and fanzines, giving a wide variety of supporters direct access to the manager and a player. This provides fair time to each project, rather than one or two outlets getting all the opportunities.
Celtic, over the last six months, have been working with this fan media on a number of bespoke events for those outlets. However, the success of that has led to invites to the broadcast press conferences usually reserved for traditional ‘mainstream’ media.
We’ve discussed this before on the website, but it’s all now underway.
The new set-up started yesterday with the inclusion of the Glasgow Is Green and Four Tims podcasts to the line-up of journalists firing questions to captain Callum McGregor and Bhoys boss Ange Postecoglou. It’s a bold step and not one many big clubs in Britain have taken.
While effectively an experiment at the moment, it’s unlikely the club can put the cork back in the bottle having taken the decision to move ahead with these plans in the first place. If anything, it’s likely that even more access will be given over the next few years.
Other events exclusively for fan media will continue. Celtic have suggested that the manager will be available a couple of times a season in that setting, as seen on Monday.
Postecoglou was excellent in that session, taking almost an hour out of his day to answer questions in depth for 67 Hail Hail and others.
There’s a real thirst for this kind of content and the feedback we’ve received on these fan media events has been very kind. It’s indicative that the club have taken the right move here in trying to improve communication and accountability.
67 Hail Hail will be at the post-match press conference against Hearts at Celtic Park in December, as well as the pre-match event for the match on 18th December, whether against St Mirren or in the Scottish League Cup final.
In other news, Report: Ange Postecoglou set to jettison one of Lennon’s big Celtic signings.
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