THE NEW CELTIC KIT IS NOW OFFICIAL, AND THE PRICES ARE REASONABLE
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Celtic confirmed today what we’ve all suspected for the last couple of days. The leaked Tartan take on the Green and White Hoops is indeed the primary new Celtic kit for next season.
What’s more, we’re getting the shirt sooner than most of us would have expected.
The jersey arrives on May 14th, giving us all plenty of time to get in time for Cup Final day, if we so wish.
Celtic Kit Prices Frozen, New Premium Option is the Trade-Off
In what was a surprising development, but a welcome one, Celtic have also kept the prices of the standard shirts frozen at 75 pounds, which was the same price as last season.
Now, I still think that’s about 20-30 quid too much, but at least it shows some sensitivity to the financial obligations of the average supporter.
Credit where it is due, Celtic could easily have followed in the footsteps of many English Premier League Clubs and charged 80, 90 or even 100 pounds for the shirt and in all likelihood, it would still have sold out.
But they didn’t do that. I wasn’t slow to criticize Celtic and Adidas yesterday, so equally, its only fair that I acknowledge they’ve done right by supporters in this regard.
There is a caveat though. Alongside the standard versions of next season’s shirt there’s also an “authentic” version, which is almost double the price at 120 pounds.
Now, I don’t actually have a major issue with there being a “premium” version of the shirt, made to the exact same specifications as those that the players wear.
It’s not something I’m interested in, but then again, as a fat guy in his 40s, I’m pretty sure I'm not the target demographic for such a garment.
Where I do have a bit of an issue though is with the choice of name here.
Calling it the “authentic” jersey carries a bit of a negative connotation, in my opinion.
It would suggest that those who are buying the standard shirt, which is what I will do, are somehow not buying a real Celtic shirt, but an imitation.
Something like the “premium” version, or the “player edition” would have been more appropriate and would feel a bit less like a hard-sell to fans.
As a former English teacher, maybe I’m reading too much into the language choice here, but I just feel it’s a bit disrespectful to those who can only afford the standard version of the shirt.
Every Celtic jersey you buy from the official store is authentic, and I’m not ok with anything that even slightly suggests otherwise.
Like I said though, overall, my impression of the new shirt is positive. In the current market, its reasonably priced, there is a premium option for those who want it, and so long as we still have that choice, then I can’t complain too much.
Personally, I’ll be going for the standard, sponsorless version.
I do hope though that in future Celtic and Adidas will reconsider the name branding of the premium version of such jerseys.
Oh, as an aside, I noticed the Japanese version of the Celtic store has the shirt priced at 12,400 yen, which comes in at about 64.80 by today’s conversion rates.
If you’re somehow able to magically transport yourself, or indeed your computer’s IP address to Japan before you pre-order, you could save yourself a tenner or so.
I’m not suggesting or endorsing such an action, merely pointing out that it’s possible.