GARY Gibson believes Rangers’ international footprint and global partnership network has been expanded with several positive discussions between clubs worldwide taking place in the last few weeks.
The club’s Head of Soccer Academies and International Relations reflected on their recent successful trip, visiting the likes of Indonesia and Australia which reignited affiliation and partnership talks following the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated travel difficulties.
Speaking upon his return Gibson discussed the conversations that took place between several teams which could lead to both imminent and longer-term agreements, and he is keen to build on the tremendous work done so far by his department, which has broken through the £1million yearly revenue barrier for the first time recently.
He said: “Myself and Iain Greer (International Soccer Academies Manager) travelled to Australia. Our first stop was in Perth, and we met with Floreat Athena Football Club. It was really interesting that they have a strong link with the Rangers Supporters Club in that region, so there is a really natural fit there. We discussed potentially putting a long term agreement in place, so those discussions are currently ongoing."
“We then went on to Adelaide where we met Seaford Rangers, who are intending to enter into a three-year partnership agreement with that club, which again will see Rangers coaches travel and deliver camp events. They'll bring tour groups back across to Scotland, but also, we spoke about the potential of their groups going into our academy in Abu Dhabi with that almost being that central hub to our expanding international Soccer Academy programmes."
“We then had a really strong meeting with Spirit FC in Sydney, we met with their technical director and we presented to the board outlining how we would like to form a longer-term agreement."
“We went from Sydney into Brisbane and have now confirmed two football group tours coming from Brisbane to Glasgow in September, and we also meet with a regional club, Eastern Suburbs. They are looking at bringing a boys’ tour group and a girls’ tour group to Scotland in December.
“Already, within such a short period of time, we are looking at rapidly expanding our tours and camp events; we have confirmed two camps events, one in Perth and the other in Adelaide for October as well, so the Rangers coaches will be heading back out there, and we are delighted with that."
Gibson feels the conversations taking place in-person had a hugely beneficial effect on building a stronger relationship between the clubs and discussing further opportunities.
He continued: “Going and meeting in-person in these countries makes a huge difference in-terms of building the relationship, they really get a sense just from us in terms of what we are looking to do and achieve, obviously increasing the club's international footprint, but for them it is about their players getting opportunities, developing their players and also their coaching staff.
“I think that is where we have done extremely well with the quality of staff that we have within the Rangers Soccer Academy. We are now working across 13 different countries worldwide and growing, and this demonstrates the weight that the Rangers brand carries worldwide."
Gibson has expressed his delight at smashing through the £1million commercial target for the first time, and he puts that down to the collective effort of his team all pushing in the one direction for the same goal.
He added: “It is absolutely first class; I am delighted and it is wholly down to the work that the team has put in. We have got Peter Kennedy (Soccer Academies Manager) and Scott Edgar (Senior Soccer Academies Executive) in Scotland, who are really driving the programmes throughout the country, and we have Nathan Hanley (Soccer Academies Manager) and Nathan Woolsey (Soccer Academies Executive) in Northern Ireland who are really pushing all the programmes in that region as well.
“Iain Greer and Dom Donaldson (International Soccer Academies Executive) lead on our international development and support me in the fantastic partnerships we have across the globe.
“Mark Soutar (Soccer Academies Manager) and David Hill (Lead Coach) are both based Abu Dhabi, and we have around 130 coaches that are now up and down Scotland, across the UK and there is a lot of travelling going on.
“It’s fantastic for the club that we have hit this growth target, but we don't want to stop there, we want to continue and we want to continuously increase the positive international impact of Rangers and commercial revenues that we are bringing in for the club but the most important thing for me is the amount of activity and people we are engaging with on a weekly and yearly basis.
“We just want to continue to put really positive programmes in place for the partner clubs that we are working with.”
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