I read sad news last week about another team that wears the green and white hoops.
Farsley Celtic play in the National League North, England’s 6th tier of professional football.
The club launched an appeal earlier this month asking for 25,000 pounds in donations. They said the money is needed to ensure that the club fulfils its fixture obligations this season.
Before I continue with this article, if you’d like to throw a couple of quid the club’s way, here’s their donation page.
In Adversity Lies Opportunity
The Celts, as their fans call them, have been down this road before. This is actually the second incarnation of the club, launched in 2010 after the original folded in 2009. Unlike elsewhere, Farsley Celtic’s homepage actually acknowledges the distinction between the old club and the new one.
The idea of Celtic, our Celtic, the Glasgow one, buying a team in England has been floated before. When Wimbledon reformed as MK Dons, there was, for a time, talk of Celtic buying the club and changing its name. There were a number of roadblocks, some logistical, some financial and various rules that didn’t allow it.
However, what I’m suggesting now isn’t relaunching Celtic as a new entity in the 6th tier of English football. Instead, I propose an idea, one that would be mutually beneficial to both us and Farsley Celtic.
Celtic B Team Needs Competition
Now, I haven’t watched much English National League North Football. Funnily enough, it doesn’t tend to show up on Japanese cable TV very often!
However, it strikes me that even this relatively low level of English football would still present a decent level for our B team to compete. Certainly, it’s got to be better than the current 5th tier of Scottish football that we play in.
And, unlike in Scotland, where archaic rules hold our players back, Farsley Celtic could, in time, and with proper development move up the English football pyramid. A version of the club did once reach the Conference in the not so distant past.
An Understanding, Not an Occupation
What I’m proposing isn’t a rebranding, a hostile takeover or an asset seizure. Instead, I think we could reach an understanding with Farsley.
We’ll loan them the players they need from our B team, perhaps even the manager. Through a third party, I’m sure something could also be worked out to give the club the money they need to get their home ground back up to working order.
Farsley are based in Leeds, but have been forced to play their games in Derbyshire, some 70 miles away, this season while their pitch is re-laid.
Obstacles to Overcome
As long as no current board member of Celtic’s PLC takes control of Farsley Celtic. There is no issue under dual ownership rules. The only issue I can see would be player registration. Unlike the Premier League and The EFL, which covers English football down to League Two level, The National League has no limit on the number of loan players. However, all loans must be approved by the FA.
A simpler solution would perhaps be to actually sell some players to Farsley with an agreed buy back clause at the end of the season. Of course this does provide the added handicap to Celtic that we can’t recall players from Farsley at short notice if we have an injury crisis.
But be honest, how often have we actually had to bring players in from the B team in recent years anyway?
These obstacles definitely aren’t deal breakers as far as I’m concerned.
Mutual Benefit
The benefits of such a tie-up should be obvious to both clubs. Farsley can secure their club’s future in the medium to long term, and Celtic can finally get a platform at a semi-decent level to develop our youth players. And the whole thing would cost a whole lot less than trying to resurrect the reserve league, which myself and many others on ACSOM have been demanding for years.
It’s the Right Thing for Celtic to Do
I’m old enough to remember 1994, and when Celtic came within hours of ceasing to exist. Funnily enough there were no cries of “Scottish football needs a strong Celtic” in those dark times.
Now, in the north of England a small yet determined bunch of supporters of a team called Celtic are facing a similarly grim scenario. Wouldn’t it be nice to help them out, and also give our youth some much needed challenge at the same time?
I certainly think it would.