Celtic’s financial power has been on show for well over two decades now.
The Parkhead club’s player-trading model coupled with the Celtic board’s financial acumen has ensured the club will be self-sustainable for years to come.
That is largely due to majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and the team he has assembled in the Celtic boardroom.
And as Celtic are set to embark on hectic pre-season tour on the back of some major merchandising releases from Adidas, it appears that the Parkhead club’s coffers are set to swell even further this summer.
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Finance expert hails Celtic’s £30m ‘extraordinary’ merchandising
To gain a further understanding of how Celtic’s income and merchandising is about to increase the club’s financial earnings, 67 Hail Hail asked TBR’s Head of Football Finance and Governance’s Adam Williams to break down how successful the recent Adidas launches coupled with the tour could benefit the Hoops financially.
Williams told us, “The 10-year deal with Adidas tells you everything you need to know about just how illustrious a commercial partner Celtic are.
“From the manufacturer’s side, you don’t strike an ultra long-term deal like that unless you have complete confidence in the club’s ability to sell merchandise come rain or shine.
“They made £30m from merchandising alone in the last financial year, which is pretty extraordinary. If you look at the frequency with which they release, not just kits, but other items too, they know they can sell just about anything with a Celtic badge on it.”
Celtic are more ‘ripe for globalisation’ than Rangers
Celtic do hold worldwide appeal and have attracted a few celebrity fans as the likes of Snoop Dogg look to invest in the club.
However, as the Adidas merchandising launches continue, Williams believes the deal with the German sportswear giants has put them in the same bracket as Champions League finalists Inter Milan.
Williams continued, “I think the Celtic brand is ripe for globalisation as well, more so than Rangers’, I would argue. But Rangers have got some very astute commercial operators running the show now, so I imagine the arms race in this department might become more hotly contested in the next few years.
“Still though, I think Celtic have the edge. Dermot Desmond is onto a winner here.
“If you look at the merchandise sale numbers throughout Europe, Celtic were ultimately not that far behind Inter Milan last season. The gap was about £9m – and they are Champions League finalists.
“Given the direction that the commercial market is going, they probably have loads of room for growth in terms of sponsorship.
“With merchandise income, it’s a slightly more complex issue because of distribution and demand. But there has still been significant growth in the last five years.
“It’s near enough double what it was in 2020 and I think they will be setting themselves a target of £45-50m before the end of the decade.”
The Adidas kits have come under fire from Celtic supporters mainly due to the pricing of the expensive pieces of replica kits.
However, as Williams states, they still sell because the Celtic fans are loyal to their club and as long as they continue to back the club, then the Parkhead board will be obliged to continue to invest in the first-team which is, ultimately, what every fan wants.
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