Founded in 1887, Celtic is one of the most successful clubs in Scotland having won the Scottish league championship an impressive 51 times.
Nicknamed the “bhoys” or “Hoops”, the famous green and white outfit is its trade at Celtic Park in Parkhead Glasgow, and is one of just five teams in the world to have amassed over 100 trophies in its locker.
With a valuation of £94m Celtic, was ranked 48th in the list of most valuable football brands by Brand Finance in July 2020. The largest shareholder is Irish businessman Dermot Desmond, who effectively has control of the club.
Celtic is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and has the ticker name of CCP. This guide will explain how to invest in the club and the risks and rewards of doing so.
Celtic is a Public Limited Company (PLC) and it is listed on the London Stock Exchange. This means buying shares is fairly straightforward. Simply follow the steps below to become a shareholder.
When it comes to investing, the share price of listed football clubs should in theory be driven by the same as any other share; future profit outlook, as well as supply and demand.
Despite missing out on winning the Scottish league championship for a tenth year in a row in the 2020/21 season, Celtic has dominated domestic football for the last decade.
However, relinquishing the Scottish Championship to arch-rival Rangers has been a jolt, leading to manager Neil Lennon leaving the club. After a spell searching for a new manager, in June it was announced Ange Postecoglou had taken the reins. The former boss of Australia’s national team joined from Yokohama F Marinos in Japan on a 12-month rolling contract.
However, Nick Train, a fund manager at Lindsell Train Limited – a substantial shareholder in Celtic – said short term performance on the field is not a major concern to him when investing.
“The allure to us of live sports franchises is the loyal fan base that is more valued by advertisers than almost any other entertainment medium,” said Train. “Out of a universe of 12 quoted soccer clubs we own three unique franchises; Juventus, Manchester United and Celtic, which all could be readily described as national icons.
“Celtic’s heritage stretches back to 1887 and, with Rangers, dominates Scottish football. Its stadium draws regular crowds of ~60,000 supporters matching the top English Premier League clubs.”
Take a look at Celtic’s share price performance over the last three months on the graph below. It’s always important to remember past performance is no indication of future results.
If you’d prefer not to invest directly in Celtic, you could invest in some of its sponsors or global partners. Football club sponsors provide funds directly to football clubs to buy new kit and equipment as well as travel to games.
If the Covid crisis has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected. When it comes to football, the thought of watching an entire season with no fans in the stadiums would have been barely believable two years ago, but it happened.
While the long-term consequences of the Covid shutdown on football clubs is still uncertain, for investors such as Train, when it comes to taking a stake in the world’s largest sports franchises, it is crucial to try and shut out the noise.
Train adopts what is known as a long-term approach to investing. This means when he buys a company, he is prepared to wade out any short-term market moves (known as volatility) and invest for a period of three or more years. This means results on the field and recent scandals such as the European Super League, do not not overly influence his decision to buy or sell. This is something he says all investors should bear in mind when considering buying shares in a football club.
Boasting 51 domestic league titles, 40 Scottish Cups and 19 Scottish League Cups, Celtic has a long history of domestic success. But in 1967, under legendary manager Jock Stein, the club won its most prestigious prize, when the Hoops became the first British team to win the European Cup.
Beating Internazionale (Inter Milan) 2-1 in Lisbon, Portugal, this team is affectionately referred to as the ‘Lisbon lions’. Remarkably, every member of this team was born within 30 miles of Parkhead. Celtic remains the only Scottish team to have reached the final of Europe’s flagship club event.
While the thought of investing in Celtic might seem a fun idea, it must be remembered these are not novelty shares, you are buying real shares in a real company. This can bring both risks – namely you won’t get all your money back – and rewards – namely you might make some money if you wish to sell your investment later.
However, like watching the beautiful game, investing in football franchises offers something unique and valuable for investors. It might not quite match a stoppage time winner to beat fierce rivals Rangers, but for those willing to be patient, the rewards might prove to be just as exciting.
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
Celtic isn’t the only football team you can buy shares in – you can also buy shares in clubs such as Manchester United, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund amongst others. See the table below for all the current football clubs that you can buy shares in.
| Club | Country | League |
|---|---|---|
| Juventus | Italy | Serie A |
| AS Roma | Italy | Serie A |
| Manchester United FC | England | Premier League |
| Rangers FC | Scotland | Scottish Premiership |
| Borussia Dortmund | Germany | Bundesliga |
Chelsea FC isn’t publicly listed, so you can’t invest directly in the club – however, there are ways that you can invest indirectly.
Looking to buy Manchester United shares? Our guide shows the Manchester United share price and explains how to buy shares in the club (capital at risk).
Follow this simple 5 step guide to buy and sell shares in the Italian football club A.S. Roma
Ever thought about buying shares in Juventus? We talk you through the process with our simple guide.
Looking to buy Rangers shares? Our guide shows the Rangers share price and explains how to buy shares in Rangers.
In this guide, we show you how to buy shares in the German football club Borussia Dortmund in 5 easy steps. Buy its stock now!
Hi I have inherited 150 Celtic shares and was wondering how much these are worth.
Hi David,
Thanks for getting in touch with Finder. I hope all is well with you. :)
As of now, we don’t have this information on our page. However, generally, it would depend on the value of Celtic FC and how much it pays its preferred shareholders. For this reason, it would be a good idea to directly get in touch with Celtic FC to know exactly how much your share is valued.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Joshua
My brother passed away in 2016 and he gave me his shares in Celtic. I’m the legal executor. How should I go about handling the shares of my deceased brother?
Hi Thomas,
Thanks for getting in touch with Finder. I hope all is well with you.
If you are the executor of the estate of a deceased shareholder you will need to provide the registrar of Celtics with certain documents. In most cases, you would be required to present an original or official copy of the death certificate and/or a sealed or certified copy of the Grant of Representation.
You can learn more about this by getting in touch with Celtic FC.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Joshua