I interviewed fans about what happened to Celtic supporters at the Glasgow Derby defeat on Sunday afternoon…
As you’ll read in the article below, and I have verified with multiple sources that these accusations of heavy-handed stewarding at Broadwood against Celtic supporters are accurate. I have reached out to both clubs for comment, but no response as of yet…
Celtic FC Women suffered another defeat at the hands of Rangers Women as Grant Scott’s Hoops side were defeated 4-0 at Broadwood on Sunday afternoon. Our women’s coverage has been halted this season by Celtic’s ban on fan media covering women’s football but that doesn’t stop up keeping a close eye on the team progress – or lack of it.
However, the terrible result for Celtic FC Women isn’t the point of this article. I want to highlight the treatment of Celtic fans at the game who have told Celtic Shorts that they were treated terribly by the staff at the ground.
Rangers Women have played their football at Broadwood for a few years now, and our supporters haven’t had any real trouble – until Sunday. There have been a few incidents over the years, some that I have witnessed myself when I was accredited at the ground, where stewards have been heavy-handed with ejecting young fans they deemed to be causing bother (they weren’t, and everyone around agreed).
But that changed at the weekend. We can report that the  actions of staff at Broadwood was heavy-handed, aggressive and as such is incredibly concerning for the women’s game.
According to eyewitness reports and first-hand experiences, Celtic fans were subject to ‘unacceptable levels of disrespect and degradation’. Minors, including some under the age of 16, were ‘subjected to invasive searches by stewards’ who ‘demanded they empty their pockets’. These stewards also ‘requested identification from children’, despite a lot of minors being unable to carry a form of ID at all times.
The Celtic FC Women Ultras noted that there was a Rangers flag in the Celtic end, which they politely requested be moved to accommodate a Celtic flag. Their request was refused, and someone was reportedly ‘physically assaulted’, with the stewards ‘threatening to kick people out’ if they went near the flags.
I spoke to supporters who experienced the disgraceful behaviour. One fan, who wished to stay anonymous, said: “Outside the ground it felt eerie, and then when you got to the turnstile to get your ticket scanned, etc., the steward went, ‘I’m gonna have to search you,’ which was obviously odd considering it was never done before any other time we’ve been to Broadwood. She searched my bag and was gonna take everything off me, and I had to argue my point to get it back, which I eventually did get it back.
“A few of my pals came in after saying stewards requested identification from them, even though they were accompanied by adults over 21. There was one kiosk open the whole time, which resulted in us having to walk through the Rangers end, and it was where their entrance was. Instead of just trying to stop trouble, the stewards were threatening to kick people out.
“I’ve never felt so unsafe and unwelcome at a women’s football game in my life. I go every weekend to the football, and this is the first time I’ve felt unsafe. My fear is it’ll stop young fans attending.”
Another fan, Timmy, who goes by timmy_lifeinscotland on Instagram, also had a negative experience at Broadwood. He said: “My experience at Broadwood was really disappointing and uncomfortable. I arrived early because I wanted to hang up my flag to support Celtic FC Women, and I was fully prepared to follow all the rules.
“I opened my suitcase and asked security to check everything properly, but even though I cooperated fully, they still took away my flag and personal belongings, including my work notebook and pencil bag.
“Just before the game started, I then saw Rangers fans putting up their own flags. That made me feel the rules were not being applied fairly. I went back to the main entrance and asked the same security guard if I could get my flag and personal belongings back.
“At first, he said he could not make the decision, so I asked to speak to a manager or person in charge. After that, he finally told me I could go and take my things back.
“I want to make clear that I was calm, polite and cooperative throughout. I understand the importance of safety rules, but they should be applied equally to everyone. I felt like I was being treated as a problem even though I had cooperated from the beginning, and even personal items that had nothing to do with safety, such as my work notebook and pencil bag, were taken away.
“I also saw young Celtic supporters being searched in a way that felt excessive and intimidating, including being asked to empty their pockets and show ID even when they were with adults. There were also poor arrangements with facilities, as Celtic fans had to walk through the Rangers end to access the kiosk, which made people feel uncomfortable and unsafe.
“Overall, the result was already disappointing, but the treatment of Celtic FC Women supporters made the whole experience even worse. Away fans should be able to support their team safely and with respect, not be treated unfairly or have personal belongings taken away.”
Not the first time Broadwood staff have acted like this and it won’t be the last
This isn’t the first time Broadwood staff have acted negatively towards Celtic fans without provocation, and it certainly won’t be the last. I reached out to Rangers FC for comment, but have yet to hear back.
Fans should be able to go and support their football team without feeling like criminals. Carrying out invasive searches on minors is concerning, even though they are trying to defend it as ‘security policies’. If the searches are for ‘security reasons’, then why were people made to feel unsafe by being forced to walk through the Rangers’ end to get to the only available kiosk?
It seems like they don’t care about the real issues, and it brings one word to mind: Performative.
We should be making fans feel safe at the football, especially when a lot of minors are in attendance. Instead, staff members are making fans feel unwelcome.
Turning young fans away isn’t the answer. Being ID’d at the football is a new low for the sport in Scotland, and Celtic need  address the disgusting treatment of those who just wanted to come out and support the Ghirls in Green.
People need to speak about this, and we shouldn’t stay silent, because if we do, this behaviour is allowed to go unchecked. Things need to change, and quickly. Women’s football in Scotland remains in its infancy and the SWPL need to get a grip on things like supporters experience or they’ll end up with game where there are no supporters at all.
I also contacted Celtic for comment, but predictably have had no response. There is a PR person who handles media enquiries from the mainstream media but as mentioned above fan media remains banned.
Here are the match ‘highlights’ as Celtic FC Women lose 4-0 and that’s four defeats from four against the Rangers Women this season ahead of two team meeting in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden the weekend after next.
Jessica Elliott
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