The Celtic View: Celebrating 58 Years of Club Heritage
On August 11, 1965, a modest four-page, black-and-white newspaper quietly changed how a football club spoke to its own people.
The first issue of the Celtic View hit the streets with a simple but powerful image on the front – the new Scottish Cup winners and their manager, Jock Stein. No gloss. No colour. Just a club on the brink of something extraordinary and a publication that would grow alongside it.
The idea belonged to Jack McGinn, a former newspaperman who would later become chairman of Celtic. His creation has outlived fads, formats and generations. In an era when club media comes and goes, the Celtic View stands as the oldest club publication in football. That alone tells a story of loyalty and habit, of supporters who grew up with it on kitchen tables and in back pockets on the way to the ground.
From that thin weekly paper to what it is now – a 100-page glossy quarterly magazine – the transformation mirrors the club’s own evolution. The latest issue leans into that heritage while staying firmly rooted in the present, built around a celebration of last season’s Double-winning campaign.
This edition is heavy with voices that matter to Celtic supporters. Martin O’Neill reflects on his time and his trophy-laden years, his name still carrying the weight of a golden era. Current captain Callum McGregor offers the perspective of the modern dressing room, while Alistair Johnston adds the sharp edge of a relative newcomer who has already understood what it means to wear the shirt.
The champions’ reaction runs through the spine of the magazine, with contributions from Viljami Sinisalo, Arne Engels, Kelechi Iheanacho, Callum Osmand, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Forrest and Liam Scales. Different journeys, different roles, one shared outcome: a squad that delivered when it mattered.
The World Cup thread runs strongly too. Kieran Tierney, Anthony Ralston, Auston Trusty, Alistair Johnston, Benjamin Nygren, Sebastian Tounekti, Daizen Maeda and Yang all feature as “World Cup Celts”, tying the club’s story to the global stage. For a support that has watched its heroes shine far beyond Scotland, those pages tap into something deeper than domestic success.
The women’s game, now a vital part of the club’s identity, has its own platform. The Women’s Scottish Cup campaign is revisited through the eyes of Grant Scott, Kelly Clark, Adelaide Gay and Morgan Cross, underlining that silverware in green and white is no longer just a men’s team preserve.
The features section digs into memory and detail. Henrik Larsson’s World Cup memories bring back the aura of a striker who defined an era. “Story of the Season” and “Martin O’Neill’s Trophy Triumphs” frame past and present glory, while “Celtic’s Late, Late Shows” and “Last-Day Title Wins” capture the drama that has so often followed this club into stoppage time and onto final days.
Numbers tell their own tale in “Nygren’s Numbers”, while James Forrest’s remarkable medal haul is laid out in black and white, a reminder of a one-club man who has quietly stacked up honours across multiple eras and managers. For those who like to test themselves, a World Cup quiz ties the threads together – club, country, memory, obsession.
From a black-and-white leaflet to a glossy, 100-page celebration of all things Celtic, the Celtic View has become more than a publication. It’s part of the club’s fabric. The latest issue is out this week, available in official Celtic stores and online, ready to be folded into the next chapter of a story that began on a summer’s day in 1965 with Jock Stein on the cover and a new idea in the hands of the support.
