How much Celtic pay for policing costs compared to Rangers, the SFA and the SPFL

Add as preferred source on Google

Celtic’s huge policing costs come to light as the Parkhead club alongside Rangers pay a combined total of £3.1m over the last three seasons.

The cost of policing will be a sore point for Celtic supporters considering how unhappy they are at how the constabulary have treated them at games over the years.

Even the recent tactics of Police Scotland at last season’s Celtic Park fixture against Rangers prompted the club to launch an investigation after complaints from fans.

Celtic supporters have been angry at how the police operated when the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act was in force in Scotland, so it’s fair to say that there are a lot of disgruntled Scottish football fans out there.

They will be even more unhappy now when they find out how much Celtic must pay to have the constabulary watch over them every week in the SPFL.

• READ MORE: Neil Lennon’s latest comments about Dermot Desmond will baffle Celtic fans

Total cost of policing for Celtic and the SPFL since 2021

The Daily Record obtained information on police costs for Scottish clubs after a Freedom Of Information request and the figures are staggering.

Here is an overall breakdown:

• Total cost to clubs over the last four years: £8,750,000
• Cost to reopen stadiums after COVID in 2021/22: £1,860,000
• Costs from 2022-2025: £6,890,000

Close to £10m is being shelled out by Scottish clubs for police to attend games and it appears that they are not getting value for money considering the number of complaints and how fans have been treated over the years.

So what is the breakdown per club?

Celtic pay almost double for policing as the SFA and four times as much as the SPFL

So with football being the number one sport in Scotland, how much do Celtic pay compared to Rangers, the SFA and the SPFL and other clubs in the country?

Here is the list in descending order:

• Rangers: £1,600,000
• Celtic: £1,500,000
• SFA: £829,107
• SPFL: £382,691
• Aberdeen: £332,791
• St Mirren: £295,605
• Kilmarnock: £277,235
• Hibs: £258,476
• Hearts: £247,440

The Glasgow Derby match that Celtic fans complained about which launched the Fairhurst investigation cost the Parkhead club a whopping £53,294.

Having police at football is clearly important and required to keep supporters safe, but the bill clubs are footing compared to the impact on fan experience needs to be questioned.