Celtic CrossFit was established on 6 December 2010 by Ceri Jones, Ian Carter, Robert Rhys Edwards, and Stefan James Sankala. We became CrossFit affiliate number 210, one of the earliest CrossFit gyms in Wales and the UK, at a time when almost nobody in the area had even heard of CrossFit. The gym began with a small group of members and very limited equipment, with each founder investing around £400 to get things started.

Our first classes ran out of St Joseph's RC High School in Newport, three evenings a week, using a handful of barbells, bumper plates, old skipping ropes, and the school's climbing ropes. Equipment had to be moved in and out of a storage cupboard before and after every single session.

As the community grew, Celtic moved into its first dedicated facility on 29 June 2011, a roughly 1,200 square foot industrial unit at Leeway Court. Members helped paint the walls, lay the flooring, and move in the equipment themselves. As the gym kept growing, we expanded into the unit next door, roughly doubling our space.

In July 2015, our founders announced the next chapter for Celtic: a much larger, purpose-built home for CrossFit, children's and teens' sessions, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and more. On 30 November 2015, we opened the doors to that new facility, our current home at Unit 19, Queensway Meadows Industrial Estate. The extra space let us significantly expand our timetable, equipment, and coaching, while continuing to grow the community we'd built over our first five years.

On 3 November 2023, ownership of Celtic CrossFit passed to Shane Stephens, Rebekah Stephens, Thomas Byrne, and Ben Sands. All four had already experienced Celtic from within its own community as members, with Tom also coaching before the purchase. During 2025, Ben moved on from the business, and Shane, Rebekah, and Tom have continued running Celtic ever since.

Celtic is a genuinely family run gym today, not just in name. Shane and Beck are married, and Tom is Beck's brother, which means the "family" in family run isn't just a figure of speech.

Our membership has grown to more than 250 people, and we remain focused on the same principles that built this gym back in 2010: quality coaching, inclusivity and accessibility, a strong and supportive community, and helping people become healthier, happier, and more capable.

We're proud of Celtic's history and of the work Ceri, Ian, Robert, and Stefan put into building this gym, along with every coach and member who's helped it grow along the way. Our aim is to respect that history while continuing to move Celtic forward as a leading CrossFit and strength and conditioning facility in Newport.