As new report reveals Parkhead side’s £165m annual boost to economy,
CELTIC chief executive Peter Lawwell has called upon the club to be taken seriously as a major economic force after the commissioning of an independent report by the Fraser of Allander Institute revealed that the Parkhead side contribute £165m annually to the Scottish economy.
That puts the club’s contribution above that from golf tourism and the 2014 Commonwealth games with Lawwell optimistic that the figures will encourage government bodies to work in tandem with Celtic.
The Parkhead side will look to sit around the table with Glasgow City Council in order to discuss the transport infrastructure around the East End of the city in order to alleviate impending parking restrictions.
The council have proposed a parking ban for all areas within a mile of the stadium on matchdays, a policy that has been opposed by Celtic given the poor transport links to Celtic Park.
The Parkhead side are currently the seventh biggest tourism attraction in Scotland, a status that is likely to rise should their proposals of building a hotel and a museum go ahead.
“We would like to think that we can help one another [when it comes to the council],” said Lawwell. “We’d like the chance to sit around the table and discuss various things because things like the transport links to the East End of the city are poor, especially on matchdays.
“The parking ban that they have proposed is draconian and we would like to think that there are viable alternatives that could be considered to take into account the needs of all concerned. We feel that it penalises our support who are being presented with difficulties in getting to the stadium.
“We feel that we are good neighbours and would happily work towards becoming better neighbours. We need to get together to talk about it because we feel that it would be a significant inconvenience that could be avoided.
“In terms of our tourism at the minute we are 20th in Europe in terms of our tours here but we feel that we can create a really attractive destination for Glasgow here. We are the 25th biggest brand in football and that should be a phenomenal asset for Glasgow to have.
“But essentially, we hear so many of the negative things that are associated with football all the time; the Offensive Behaviour Act and Strict Liability but we do not often hear so much about the good that football does in terms of the bigger picture.
“These figures show just what a valuable contribution is made. They came as no real surprise to us because we have been aware of them but we commissioned this research because of a feeling that the economic contribution from football in general