Celtic permitted 2000 supporters for Preston friendly

Permission has been granted for 2000 supporters to attend Celtic’s pre-season friendly against Preston North End at Parkhead on July 17.

It will be the first time in 16 months that Celtic fans have been allowed inside the stadium after the coronavirus pandemic brought Scottish football to an abrupt halt last March.

Celtic said on Friday that 2000 was the maximum number of supporters currently permitted to attend Celtic Park.

The match will be new manager Ange Postecoglou’s first at home and the club’s final game ahead of their opening Champions League qualifier.

The club said in a statement said: “We are using this as our own preparatory event, under Covid-19 protocols, which will allow us to use and assess all areas of the stadium. Ticket allocation has been split among season ticket holders and club contractual obligations.”

“It’s been too long since we had you at Celtic Park and we cannot wait to have you back! Celtic continues to work tirelessly to ensure we get as many season ticket holders back to Celtic Park as quickly as we can.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said capacity limits are in place for events depending on the coronavirus protection level each local authority is in.

The spokesperson said: “Applications for exemptions to those limits for larger events, including football matches in stadiums, can be made to the relevant local authority for approval up to the capacity limits for events in Level 0, which is up to 2000 people at an outdoor event with seating.

“The First Minister’s statement on 22 June set out an indicative timeline for moving to level 0 and beyond and provided the events sector with greater clarity, including timeline for changes to how events can be organised.

“The next review of restrictions will be on 13 July ahead of proposed changes commencing on 19 July.”