Irish Founding Heritage

The club founded to alleviate poverty, now a global football institution.

Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic, is a professional football club in Glasgow, Scotland. The club was founded in 1887 by Irish Marist Brother Walfrid to alleviate poverty in the Irish–Scots population in the city's East End. Celtic played their first official match in May 1888, a friendly against Rangers which they won 5–2. The club's first major honour was the Scottish Cup, won in 1892 after defeating Queen's Park 5–1 in the final.

Quick Facts

Founding year: 1887
Founder: Brother Walfrid

Lore & Background

Celtic's first major honour was the Scottish Cup, won in 1892. The club had reached the Scottish Cup final in 1889 but lost 2–1 to Third Lanark. In 1892, Celtic defeated Queen's Park 5–1 to win the Scottish Cup, their first major trophy. Several months later, the club moved to Celtic Park and won the Scottish League Championship for the first time the following season.

Reader's Guide

Celtic have played in green and white throughout their history, adopting the hooped jerseys in 1903. The club's original crest was a simple green cross on a red oval background. Celtic's home ground is Celtic Park, redeveloped into a 60,832 all-seater stadium under Fergus McCann in the 1990s.

Did You Know?

The club was founded in 1887 by Brother Walfrid to raise money for the Poor Children's Dinner Table.
Celtic's first kit consisted of a white shirt with a green collar, black shorts, and emerald green socks.
The club's nickname 'The Bhoys' uses an extra 'h' to imitate Gaelic spelling.