Old Firm Meaning and Why Celtic Fans Reject the Term

Walk into any Glasgow pub on derby day and you might hear the rivalry called two different things: “Old Firm” or “Glasgow derby.” That split in naming reflects a genuine fault line among fans, historians, and the clubs themselves. The term “Old Firm” has roots stretching back to a satirical cartoon in 1904, but for many Celtic supporters, its baggage now outweighs its history. This explainer unpacks what the phrase actually means, where it came from, and why the debate over it refuses to go away.

First recorded usage of ‘Old Firm’: 1904 · Combined total major trophies for Celtic and Rangers: over 100 · Number of Old Firm derbies played (approx): 440+ · Year Celtic was founded: 1887 · Year Rangers was founded: 1872

The following table compares the fundamental details of Scottish football’s most storied clubs:

What is the meaning of Old Firm?

In Scottish football, the term “Old Firm” refers collectively to Glasgow’s two dominant clubs, Celtic and Rangers, whose rivalry has shaped the sport in Scotland for over a century. The phrase first appeared in print around 1904, when a satirical cartoon in The Scottish Referee — a sports weekly — ran a mock advertisement reading “Patronise The Old Firm: Rangers, Celtic Ltd” before the Scottish Cup final (Goal). The cartoon was a commentary on how the two clubs had come to dominate Scottish football and, the joke suggested, were operating almost like a joint commercial enterprise.

The word “firm” itself comes from late 19th-century British slang for a business partnership, and journalists of the era borrowed this commercial language to describe the profitable pairing of Celtic and Rangers. By the early 20th century, the phrase had stuck, and regular meetings between the clubs became known universally as “Old Firm derbies.” The rivalry between Celtic and Rangers goes far beyond sport — it is deeply intertwined with sectarianism in Glasgow, reflecting centuries-old religious and political divisions between Catholics and Protestants (Wikipedia – Sectarianism in Glasgow).

Origins of the term in the 1900s

Celtic Football Club was founded on 6 May 1888 in Glasgow’s East End with a specific mission to support the city’s impoverished Irish Catholic immigrant community, playing its first match in May 1888 (Stanford University course material). Rangers Football Club traces its origins to 1872 and developed a support base traditionally Protestant and aligned with British unionism and Loyalism (Stanford University). Within a decade of Celtic’s founding, both clubs had surged past Queen’s Park as the dominant forces in Scottish football, making their fixtures the biggest draw in the country.

What historians stress, however, is that the precise origin of the term “Old Firm” is not definitively proven and remains somewhat debated. An alternative folk etymology suggests commentators once described Celtic and Rangers as being like “two old, firm friends,” which then shortened to “Old Firm,” but this explanation is less documented than the commercial-cartoon origin (Goal).

Why do Celtic fans not say Old Firm?

Many Celtic supporters have become vocal critics of the term “Old Firm,” arguing it sanitises and commodifies a rivalry rooted in genuine sectarian harm. Celtic as a club, and many of its fans, now prefer the neutral term “Glasgow derby” in official communications, while Rangers continue to use the more traditional phrase “Old Firm” (Goal). Following the financial collapse and liquidation of Rangers FC in 2012, a sizeable section of the Celtic support insisted that the “Old Firm” no longer exists because Rangers was, in their view, a new club and company.

Sectarian connotations

The broader context is decades of sectarian tension. Celtic is widely associated with the Irish Catholic community and Irish republican sympathies, while Rangers is associated with Protestant, unionist and Loyalist identities (Stanford University course material). Sectarianism in Glasgow intensified after large-scale Irish Catholic immigration to industrial Scotland in the 19th century, especially to Glasgow, and football became a focal point for those divisions (Wikipedia).

A Glasgow City Council study in 2003 found that 65% of respondents believed sectarian violence in the city was “very” or “quite” common, illustrating how the Old Firm rivalry sits within a broader climate of perceived sectarian tension (University of Sunderland – Hate Thy Neighbour series). The Scottish Government’s own sectarianism terminology glossaries document derogatory terms used around the rivalry, such as “fenian” directed at Irish Catholics and Celtic fans, and “Billy Boys” as a Rangers-associated song linked to a 1920s Protestant razor gang (Scottish Government terminology via National Library of Scotland).

Fan identity and boycott

Supporters who reject the Old Firm label argue it masks asymmetries in the clubs’ records on issues such as signing Catholic players, combating racist and sectarian chanting, and relationships with Loyalist and paramilitary symbolism (University of Edinburgh research). Some Celtic fans criticise the term because they see it as turning real social harm into a marketable brand that benefits clubs, media and sponsors while communities bear the costs.

The Celtic Wiki, a fan-run reference, describes the ‘Old Firm’ tag as having originated when Celtic–Rangers fixtures became the biggest draw in Scottish club football, emphasising the size and regularity of the fixture list. Many Celtic supporters contest the idea that the Old Firm is a single entity, arguing the term artificially equates Celtic and Rangers despite fundamental differences in club identity, history and stance on sectarianism (The Celtic Wiki).

What is the Old Firm derby history?

The first official match between Celtic and Rangers took place in May 1888, with Celtic winning 5–2 (Stanford University course material). By the early 20th century, Celtic and Rangers had become the dominant forces in Scottish football, and regular high-stakes meetings between them were soon collectively labelled “Old Firm” matches (Lower Block).

First match

Rangers were founded in 1872, fifteen years before Celtic arrived in Glasgow’s East End. Celtic’s founding mission was explicitly charitable — supporting Irish Catholic immigrants — which immediately positioned the club differently from Rangers’ more establishment Protestant identity. The first competitive meeting between them set a pattern that would repeat for over a century: packed stadiums, intense drama, and community stakes that went far beyond league positions.

Notable games and violence

The Old Firm rivalry has repeatedly been linked to disorder and violence. An infamous Scottish Cup final prompted authorities to ban alcohol from Scottish football grounds to curb match-day trouble (The Football Weekend). Media coverage frequently labels the Celtic–Rangers fixture as “football’s most dangerous rivalry” because of its combination of sectarian chanting, street violence, and associated social harms (VICE documentary).

The Old Firm has been cited as an archetypal example of how football rivalries can crystallise and reproduce wider social divisions — in this case, religious affiliation, class, migration history and national identity in Scotland (Semantic Scholar – academic research). Because Old Firm matches draw huge crowds and reliably high television audiences, commentators stress that Celtic, Rangers, broadcasters and sponsors have historically had strong financial incentives to promote the rivalry’s drama and intensity.

“From a sociological perspective, the Old Firm is often cited as an archetypal example of how football rivalries can crystallise and reproduce wider social divisions – in this case, religious affiliation, class, migration history and national identity in Scotland.”

— Academic research via Semantic Scholar

The pattern reveals that the Old Firm’s commercial appeal has consistently outweighed calls for reform, even as evidence of sectarian harm accumulates.

Is Jock Stein Catholic or Protestant?

Jock Stein was a Protestant by background. He managed Celtic from 1965 to 1978 and became a legendary figure in Scottish football, leading the club to their historic 1967 European Cup victory — the first British team to win the competition. His religious background has been documented in historical accounts of the era, though it was not always the defining frame through which he was viewed during his managerial career.

Jock Stein background

Stein’s faith was Protestant, but his legacy at Celtic transcended the sectarian divisions that had long characterised Scottish football. He managed a club with deep Irish Catholic roots and a fanbase that was predominantly Catholic, yet he earned universal respect across the divide during his tenure. The tension between his Protestant background and his status as a Celtic icon has been examined in retrospective analysis of Scottish football history, particularly as the club and its supporters grappled with questions of identity and belonging.

Do any Catholics support Rangers?

Historically, Rangers was associated with Protestantism and loyalism, and for much of the 20th century, the club had an informal policy of not signing Catholic players. In modern times, that barrier has broken down significantly. Rangers has signed Catholic players, and a minority of Catholic fans now support the club — a shift that would have been unthinkable in earlier generations.

Religious composition of fanbases

The sectarian barriers that once defined support for each club have softened but not disappeared. A 2003 Glasgow City Council study found that 65% of respondents believed sectarian violence was common in the city, showing the broader cultural context in which these fan identities operate (University of Sunderland). Academic work on Scottish football notes that discourses about sectarianism often frame Celtic as deviant or outsider due to its Irish-Catholic links, in contrast to portrayals of Rangers as representative of an implicitly “normal” Scottish or British identity (University of Edinburgh research).

The exact proportion of current Catholic Rangers fans is unclear and difficult to measure precisely. What is clear is that both clubs now officially espouse anti-sectarian values, and the days of formal religious discrimination in player recruitment are over. The question of how deeply those changes have penetrated supporter culture remains contested.

The implication is that while institutional barriers have fallen, the cultural shifts required to fully integrate Catholic supporters into Rangers’ fanbase will take generations to fully materialise.

The table below summarises the key contrasts between the two clubs:

Confirmed facts vs what remains unclear

Related reading: Celtic Banter: Definition, Origins, and Fan Culture

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