Celtic Nations Club Cup Idea - Soccer

Celtic Nations Club Cup Idea - Soccer.

I think Scottish soccer should put forward a Celtic Nations Club Cup Trophy. 

This would be a cup club cup trophy between top club sides from Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Brittany, the Isle of Man, and Cornwall. 

My idea would be to include all Scottish Premiership sides, plus all the Welsh sides playing in the English league system. Plus selected sides from Northern Ireland, the Welsh Cymru Premier, the Republic of Ireland, Brittany, the Isle of Man, and Cornwall. 

Imagine games like Glasgow Celtic v Cardiff City, Aberdeen v Wrexham, Glasgow Rangers v Nantes, Rennes v Swansea City, Newport County v Dundee United, Merthyr Town v Motherwell, The Isle of Man v The New Saints, Livingston v Stade Rennais, Truro City v Shamrock Rovers, St Johnstone v Sligo Rovers, Dundalk v Dundee, Linfield v Ross County, Connah's Quay Nomads v Hibernian, and Heart of Midlothian v Cork City. 

Plus perhaps even extra sides could be invited in from the Celtic areas of Spain and Portugal. Plus small sides could be invited from England, France, Plus perhaps sides from the Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia, Finland, Russia, the Ukraine, the Faroe Islands, Poland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria or other regions. 

I would expect the non-Celtic bigger nations to enter their smaller club sides. I am not expecting France to enter PSG. But I think Brittany should enter their biggest club sides.

I would not expect England to enter the likes of Man Utd or Liverpool. I would want England to enter sides like Chester, Bath City, Hereford, Tranmere Rovers, Shrewsbury Town, Bristol Rovers, Carlisle United, Northwich Victoria, Hednesford Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Bristol City, Sunderland, Huddersfield Town, Salford City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Coventry City.  They are big sides by Celtic standards, and would add to the trophy. Entering 8 club teams would be good from England. 

The Celt Nations Club Cup trophy would be on top of domestic and European football trophies. So this would be an addition to the season, 

UEFA allowed the Scottish Challenge Cup to have sides from Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and England. So UEFA do not seem to have a problem with extra cross border cup trophies.  

The Celtic Nations Club Cup trophy could be a group stage trophy, followed by a straight knockout singe leg trophy, leading to a final. 

The main Celtic Nations Club Cup would be held at home and away venues of all the competing clubs of each nation. So Aberdeen would play perhaps 3 home games, in the group stages in Aberdeen, and 3 away games at the venues of the opposing teams in their group, 

I think a Celtic Nations Club Cup would be fun, and offer great trips to beautiful places and football regions. 

The regions of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Brittany, the Isle of Man, and Cornwall add up to around 20 million. So it is a big rich market for the bigger clubs to exploit.

Then with extra invited teams from other regions in Europe, it would be an even bigger trophy.

 

I am not pretending that this trophy would be like Real Madrid v Barcelona or Juventus v Inter Milan. But it would be an extra cross border trophy. 

I think the Scots could open their clubs up to bigger markets. 

While the Welsh sides in the English league would get to play European style trophies, 

While the sides of the Welsh Cymru Premier, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Cornwall could be awoken like sleeping giants. The Dublin, Cork and Belfast sides could particularly grow from being in such a trophy and playing big sides.

I would want this to be a primarily full time club trophy to give the trophy a strong base.   

Clubs would need to fund their own participation. They would not need to pay an entry fee. But they would need to be able to fund their own participation in the trophy.

The final could be played at one of the competing team's stadia. 

I think a Celtic Nations Club Cup would be a fun addition to the season. Where it could be  the bedrock of soccer in the nations of the Celtic lands. It could be cool and intense. 

It would be an annual trophy. 

The Celtic regions add up to a big market.

Some people might criticise the travel arrangements,. But look at the trips that teams have to do in Brazil, Australia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Let alone UEFA trophies where teams travel from Kazakhstan and Georgia to Iceland and Norway, So I do not accept that a Dingwall (Scotland) to Nantes trip is impossible. 

I would want cross border Celtic Nations Club Cups all the way down the levels. Also at male and female soccer. So there could be women’s Celtic Nations Club Cups.

The smaller Celtic Cups could be held at single locations like a mini- trophy, but the main Celtic Nations Club Cup would be held at home and away venues of all the competing nations. 

The Celts in the Iberian peninsula have been known as the Celtici and in Portuguese, Spanish, and the Galician languages as the Célticos. The Celtic groups in the Iberian peninsula inhabited up to three areas of Alentejo and the Algarve in Portugal. Plus in the province of Badajoz and in the north of the Province of Huelva in Spain, and in the ancient Baeturia and along the areas of coastal Galicia. So perhaps these regions could provide sides for a Celtic Nations Club Cup also. 

Thanks.