In a move rarely seen in Scottish football, Boyle is to hold a ballot of season ticket holders in the Cooper Stand asking their agreement to a relocation to enable the club to reap a financial reward by increasing the seating available to Celtic supporters.
The board is unanimous in the view that, in the spirit of sportsmanship, any trophy presentation should be allowed. Given the recent tendencies in the professional game, this attempt to remind everyone connected with the sport that the notion of congratulating opponents after a game is the proper thing to do is to be commended.
There is, however, another important issue which has to be resolved regardless of the decision to allow the presentation. If this final game of the season is to become a title decider then it is clear that the demand for tickets from the potential champions will be huge.
It is perfectly understandable that Celtic fans would find their way into the ‘home’ areas of the ground in considerable numbers. The security implications are serious.
It should be clear to all but the most blinkered ‘Well fan that the club has an opportunity to reap a financial windfall from this fixture. We have recently emerged from the dark days of administration and the funds available to the manager are severely limited. It would be folly to ignore the rewards which can be realised by filling the stadium.
The solution suggested by the club attempts to address both the security and financial issues. By giving the Cooper Stand to the opposition the likelihood of friction inside the ground is greatly reduced and at the same time the club can maximise revenue.
This seems like an obvious and welcome solution.
By giving the Cooper Stand season ticket holders a veto on the proposal Boyle has raised supporter involvement in the running of the club to a new and welcome level. Occurrences of consultation between club boards and their fans are all too rare (and usually meaningless). On this occasion the decision is being left to the supporters.
Those fans involved in the postal ballot should take a moment before making a hasty judgement. With this consultation comes a heavy responsibility. A no vote will cost the club many tens of thousands of pounds and will risk the security of ‘home’ areas of the ground.
There is much to be gained by a move to the East Stand for one game. Vote YES.