On 6 November 1887, in a parish hall in Calton, a poor working-class district in the east of Glasgow, Celtic was born. This year the club of the green and white hoops blows out 139 candles. This is a club that did not start out to win trophies. It started out to put a plate of food in front of hungry children. Let's see how that beginning led to one of the most recognisable shirts on the planet.

A plate of food for the children of the East End

The driving force was Brother Walfrid, an Irish monk of the Marist order. The meeting took place in the hall of St Mary's church. His aim was to raise money for his charity, the "Poor Children's Dinner Table", which gave meals to the children of Irish immigrants. The name "Celtic" was his suggestion. He wanted it to show that the club had roots in both Ireland and Scotland. The first official match was played on 28 May 1888 against Rangers, and Celtic won 5-2. Nobody back then could imagine the story that would follow between the two clubs.

White shirt, green collar

Celtic's first kit looks almost unrecognisable today. The players wore a white shirt with a green collar, black shorts and emerald socks. In 1889 green and white vertical stripes appeared and lasted for a little over a decade. The big change came on 15 August 1903, in a match against Partick Thistle. That day the team wore horizontal green and white bands for the first time, the famous hoops. From then on the hoops became the club's identity, and even gave it one of its nicknames, "The Hoops".

The cross, the clover and a shirt without a badge

The club's first emblem was a green cross on a red oval. From the 1930s the four-leaf clover became established, the symbol fans everywhere recognise today. It is worth noting that Celtic had no badge on its shirt for almost a century. The crest was stitched onto the chest only in 1977. For the club's centenary in 1988, the players wore a special commemorative badge with a Celtic cross. The hoops, though, remain the team's strongest signature, as the "Hoop" fleece blanket in our shop also reminds us.

Paradise in Parkhead

The first ground opened in 1888 in Parkhead. When the landlord raised the rent from 50 to 450 pounds a year, the club moved a little further along. The new Celtic Park opened on 20 August 1892. Shamrocks were planted in the pitch, and a journalist wrote that the team was leaving a graveyard to enter paradise. That is how the name "Paradise" was born. Today the ground holds more than 60,000 spectators and is the largest in Scotland.

Lisbon, 25 May 1967

The greatest moment came with Jock Stein as manager. On 25 May 1967, at the National Stadium in Lisbon, Celtic beat Inter 2-1 and became the first British team to lift the European Cup. That season they won every competition they entered, something no club had achieved before. The players of that side became known as the Lisbon Lions. A few years later, in 1974, came a ninth league title in a row, equalling the world record of the time.

From Umbro to adidas

For many decades the shirt was made by Umbro, from the 1930s until 2005. Nike followed, then New Balance from 2015 and adidas from 2020. The first sponsor to appear on the hoops was CR Smith, a company from Fife, in 1984. Whatever changed in fabrics and logos, the design of the horizontal bands stayed almost untouched. That also makes it one of the favourite subjects for shirt collectors.

From a bowl of soup for the children of Calton to millions of fans around the world, Celtic's journey is unique. Happy birthday to the "Bhoys" and to everyone who proudly hangs a "Bhoys" flag from their balcony!

See Celtic shirts and merchandise at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Celtic Park – edward mcmaihin, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.