Young Ballymena Boy Thrilled to Serve as Celtic FC Mascot

A young boy from Ballymena has described his overwhelming excitement after serving as a mascot for Celtic FC during a recent Champions League match. Kaleb Dunlop, aged 8, was one of 22 child mascots at Celtic Park in Glasgow for the match against Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday night. This opportunity was particularly significant for Kaleb, a devoted fan of the club.

Kaleb’s grandfather, Patrick, expressed his delight to the Irish News, emphasizing how the experience fulfilled a long-held dream for his grandson. “Kaleb’s football mad,” Patrick stated. “We even caught him smuggling his Celtic kit into his schoolbag so he can change before he gets home and head straight out for a kick around.”

Patrick explained how the opportunity arose through the Celtic Foundation, which regularly offers such experiences for children. “The Celtic Foundation do these things all the time where you put your name forward for kids to be a mascot and we would enter Kaleb each time, not thinking much would come of it. Then last week we got an email to say he had been chosen. We really weren’t expecting it,” Patrick shared.

Kaleb, a pupil at St Colmcille’s Primary School, was already familiar with attending matches with his grandfather. However, nothing had prepared him for the electrifying atmosphere at Wednesday’s game. Patrons noted Kaleb was seen covering his ears before kick-off, overwhelmed by the stadium’s energy.

Patrick recounted preparing Kaleb for the event, saying, “I tried to warn him the sheer volume would be on another level from any of the games we attended. I told him in the stadium he would witness noise like never before because the Champions league is completely different.” Despite the high volume, Kaleb enjoyed the experience, with Patrick noting, “He said the noise was so loud down there that he couldn’t help himself, but he loved every minute; it was a great atmosphere.”

The atmosphere was made even more jubilant due to Celtic FC’s commanding performance. Under the leadership of Brendan Rodgers, the team secured a significant 5-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava, bolstered by four second-half goals. This win marked an encouraging start to their league campaign.