BHOYS OF
CROYDON CELTIC
SUPPORTERS CLUB
IF YOU KNOW THE HISTORY
by Sylvester Rafter and Aidan Lennon
The Bhoys of Croydon Celtic Supporters Club was started in the dark and dismal days of February 2000 when John Barnes reigned supreme? and Inverness Caledonian Thistle were marching onwards in the Scottish Cup. The less said about those days the better.
The club was started as a number of us used to meet regularly in the Alma Tavern in Addiscombe to watch The Hoops and we thought it would be a good idea to form a club. The exact reason for forming a club varied according to who you spoke to. Some wanted to promote Celtic in the area, others wanted to be officially associated with Celtic in some way, while others wanted to use it as a platform for travelling to matches. Everybody wanted to watch the game with other Celts and in the best Celtic tradition, get pissed while doing so.
After some months the attendances at games grew and the management of the pub changed. The new management and some of the Alma regulars were not as taken with our repertoire of songs and we felt it was time to move on. A meeting was held and we felt that we needed to move to somewhere bigger and probably with an Irish landlord who would be more appreciative of our vocal renditions. So the Broad Green Tavern in West Croydon was chosen and we were enthusiastically welcomed by the management there.
Since moving to the Broad Green Tavern, the club has gone from strength to strength in terms of the number of people who regularly come along to watch the games. From an original twelve members there are now more than fifty. A brief move to the Tir Na nOg Bar in Thornton Heath from 2003-2004 where the Club had its own clubroom allowed the club to grow even further. The Club was then given the opportunity to return to the Broad Green and in a position of strength we now have our own room in the pub and are televising more games than ever.
The aim of the Club is to enjoy games and support Celtic together as well as travel regularly to matches at Parkhead and indeed further afield. We are always open to new ideas and input, and even more so to new people who want to take an active part in the running of the Club. Remember, like Celtic the Club is yours and it is up to all of us to make it a success.
Hail Hail
Bhoys of Croydon