Renewed agreement with the Glasgow-based club keeps Florida Celtic families and competitive players connected to Celtic FC’s coaching curriculum, player development pathway and international opportunities
LARGO, Florida — [September 1, 2026] — Florida Celtic Soccer Club announced today that it has renewed its partnership with Celtic Football Club of Glasgow, Scotland, continuing the club’s standing as an official International Programme Partner of the Celtic Soccer Academy. The renewal extends a relationship that connects Florida Celtic’s coaches, competitive teams and soccer families directly to the methods, resources and global network of one of the most storied clubs in world football.
Celtic FC describes its International Partners Programme as “the most innovative, engaging and developmental club partnership programme in professional football,” connecting a select group of clubs around the world to the same coaching philosophy used within Celtic’s own academy in Glasgow. As a renewed Partner Club, Florida Celtic continues to draw on that relationship both on the training ground and off it.
What the Renewal Means for Florida Celtic Families
For soccer families across Pinellas County, the renewed partnership means Florida Celtic’s players keep training under a curriculum shaped by Celtic FC’s own academy standards, with club coaches supported by ongoing coach education from Celtic Soccer Academy staff. It’s a tangible link between a hometown club and a global institution — the kind of connection that gives families confidence in the development path their children are on, from the club’s youngest Florida Celtic Academy players through its ECNL Regional League, National 1 League and West Florida Premier League competitive rosters.
Through the programme, Florida Celtic also maintains access to Celtic FC’s Online Player Development resources — digital coaching content built around technical, tactical, physical and psychological development — giving players a consistent thread of Celtic FC methodology between seasons.
What the Renewal Means for Competitive Team Players
For Florida Celtic’s current competitive team players, the partnership’s biggest draw is the doorway it opens to Scotland. Celtic FC’s Academy Player Experience invites players from International Partner Clubs to train in Glasgow alongside Celtic’s academy environment — a rare, once-in-a-childhood opportunity for a Florida Celtic player to test their game on an international stage while representing their club and community overseas.
“Celtic FC is one of the most successful football clubs in the world. The club has won 122 major trophies throughout its history, including 56 Scottish league titles, 43 Scottish Cups, 22 Scottish League Cups, and, most famously, the European Cup in 1967, when the legendary “Lisbon Lions” became the first British club to lift the trophy.
Director of Soccer Brice Nardozzi, Board Member Martin Wilde, and I traveled to Scotland this past April to see firsthand how this partnership could bring value to Florida Celtic SC. The experience was amazing, and it quickly became clear just how many potential benefits this relationship could bring to our players, coaches, and the entire Florida Celtic family.
Celtic FC, like Florida Celtic, represents a philosophy of openness, inclusion, and charitable giving—bringing people together regardless of their background. The club also shares our commitment to entertaining, attacking football and to creating an environment where players can grow, develop, and aspire to reach their full potential.
I encourage all of you to begin learning more about Celtic FC, its remarkable history, and its current players.
Growing up in England, one of my early footballing heroes was Jimmy Johnstone. I can still clearly remember listening to matches on the radio as the commentator excitedly described him dribbling past defender after defender. In between the commentary, I would be out in the street with my mates, banging the ball around and imagining that I was beating player after player—just like “Jinky” Jimmy Johnstone.
Now, it is time for us to embrace a new generation of footballing heroes.
Let us be proud to wear our hoops. Let us embrace what it means to be part of the Celtic family. And let us all aspire to be the very best that we can be.
Who knows? Perhaps one day, one of our own Florida Celtic players will step out onto the field at Celtic Park.
That is something worth dreaming about—and working toward. Hail Hail!”— John Orr, Executive Director, Florida Celtic Soccer Club
“We are delighted and honored to announce the re-establishment of Florida Celtic Soccer Club’s partnership with Celtic FC through the Celtic FC International Academy Partnership.
This partnership represents an exciting opportunity for our club and will provide meaningful opportunities across multiple levels of Florida Celtic, including our technical staff, coaches, and players. Through our relationship with Celtic FC, we will have access to Celtic FC training methodologies and curriculum, coach education, Celtic FC-led camps at Florida Celtic, international travel opportunities, and access to the Celtic FC Academy and experiences that remain limited to select youth organizations around the world.
We believe the impact of this partnership will be felt throughout the entire club. For our players, it provides inspiration to dream bigger and an opportunity to experience the standards and environment of a professional academy. For our coaches, it reinforces our commitment to the continual pursuit of education and development, while providing opportunities to bring new ideas and perspectives back into our training environments. For our technical staff, it provides valuable insight into the processes, standards, and player development philosophy of a professional academy as we continue to build, grow, and improve Florida Celtic.
This partnership is another important step in our continued commitment to creating an exceptional development environment for our players and providing opportunities that extend beyond the traditional youth soccer experience.
We are incredibly grateful to the Celtic FC staff for their warm welcome, professionalism, guidance, and support throughout this process. A special thank you to Derek O’Keeffe, Celtic FC International Soccer Academy Manager; Jose Romero, Celtic FC Senior Soccer Academy Manager; Kirsty Cunningham, Celtic FC Domestic Soccer Academy Manager; and the entire Celtic FC team for their partnership and belief in Florida Celtic.
I would also like to recognize and thank John Orr, Martin Wilde, Sarah Filipek, and the Florida Celtic Board for their support, diligence, and commitment throughout the process of re-establishing this partnership.
We are excited for what lies ahead and look forward to seeing this relationship positively impact our players, coaches, staff, and the continued growth of Florida Celtic.”— Brice Nardozzi, Director of Soccer, Florida Celtic Soccer Club
“As President of Florida Celtic, I am incredibly proud of what this partnership represents for our club and our families. The opportunity to align with a club of Celtic FC’s history, experience, and reputation gives our players and coaches access to a new level of soccer development, education, and opportunity.
From exposure to Celtic FC’s training methodologies and player-development philosophy to opportunities for our coaches to learn and bring that knowledge back to our fields, this partnership allows us to continue raising the standard of soccer at Florida Celtic. Most importantly, it gives our players the chance to be challenged, inspired, and exposed to different levels of the game while continuing to develop right here within our club.
But for us, development has always meant more than what happens on the soccer field. At Florida Celtic, our goal is not simply to develop strong athletes and talented soccer players—we want to help develop good humans. We want our players to learn the importance of character, respect, hard work, inclusion, teamwork, and what it means to be part of something bigger than themselves.
One of the things that makes this partnership so exciting is that Celtic FC shares that belief in developing the person as well as the player. We believe we have a responsibility to prepare our kids not only for their next level of soccer, whatever that may be, but also for who they will become beyond the game.
I also want to extend a sincere thank you to our Executive Director, John Orr, our Director of Soccer, Brice Nardozzi, and the entire Florida Celtic Board of Directors for the time, commitment, and work they have put into making this partnership a reality. Opportunities like this don’t happen without people who truly believe in the future of our club and are willing to put in the work behind the scenes to move it forward.
I’m incredibly excited about what this partnership will mean for the future of player development at Florida Celtic and even more excited about the opportunities and experiences it will create for our players, coaches, and families.”
— Sarah Filipek, Board President, Florida Celtic Soccer Club
Looking Ahead
Florida Celtic will share additional details with families in the coming weeks about upcoming Celtic FC programming available through the renewed partnership. Families can follow Florida Celtic’s website and social channels for updates.
About Celtic FC’s International Partners Programme
Celtic Football Club, based in Glasgow, Scotland, partners with a select network of clubs around the world through the Celtic Soccer Academy’s International Partners Programme, extending Celtic’s coaching curriculum, player development resources and club culture to youth soccer organizations internationally. More information is available at celticfc.com/celtic-soccer-academy/international-partners-programme.