Lajee Celtic’s senior team stands at the highest level of the Club’s football pathway.

The senior team brings together players from Aida, Al Azza and Dheisheh refugee camps – the three refugee camps of Bethlehem. We also feature players from across Bethlehem city, the surrounding villages and further afield. 

Since 2024, the Lajee Celtic senior team has been at the forefront of the efforts to re-start organised football in Palestine. In spite of the difficult challenges facing all football clubs and all Palestinians, we have maintained a regular and multi-disciplined training schedule encompassing football, tactical awareness, strength & conditioning and diet. Our first team has professional standards, receiving elite coaching from Head Coach and former Palestinian internationalist Rami Msalmeh. 

Thanks to our ambition, high standards and international reputation, we have built a strong senior squad mixing experience with youth progressing through our academy. This has been rewarded with two Palestine National Team call-ups at U18 and U23 (Olympic Squad) level, which are both individual and Club achievements.

Our senior team plays with purpose and identity. They carry on their shirt the names of the refugee camps of Palestine and the diaspora; and carry the support of thousands of people across 63 countries. They are ambassadors of Palestine.

In 2024, the senior team participated in a tour of South Africa, playing matches in Johannesburg and Cape Town. We were the first Palestinian club to play football in South Africa. This was the first time the vast majority of the team had left Palestine, saw an airport, been on a plane and visited another country. These powerful moments were made possible through your support.

If you would like to invite our senior team to participate in an international event, please contact info@lajeeceltic.com.