RANGERS Youth Development Company Director Colin Stewart has shared his delight at being able to hand over a donation of £450,000 to Rangers Academy in what has been a difficult year.
With lost revenue through the first lockdown in March, Colin and his team found new ways of working which has allowed them support the Academy with another incredible donation.
Since 2002, all profits from RYDC have gone towards youth development with over £9 million pounds being donated.
Speaking to RangersTV, Colin said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to donate another £450,000. At one point last season around about March when we entered the first lockdown we had to leave Ibrox and had to stop working.
“At that point our donation was looking as if it wasn't going to materialise - certainly not to the tune of £450,000.
“For 20 weeks from March until the middle of August we stopped taking revenue for Rangers Lotto and that was the equivalent of something like £400,000 in lost revenue so it was quite significant.
“Thankfully our wonderful fans have once again supported us and we were able to meet the £450,000 donation. It has certainly been a challenge, we have developed a new way of working and who knows it might become the norm.”
With Nathan Patterson breaking into the first-team and a number of Academy youngsters excelling on loan, Colin is delighted that RYDC donations can play some part in their development.
He continued: “It is tremendous, Craig Mulholland is very supportive of us and he appreciates the work we do. He has been able to do a lot more at the Academy with the funds that we are providing which is super to see.
“You only have to look at some of the stats Craig told me recently about the under-21 squad last year for Scotland. A third of the players in that squad were from Rangers and that is incredible.
“You look at Nathan Patterson breaking through and some of the others last year who made their first-team debuts, Leon King, Ciaran Dickson and then the players out on loan.
“I have watched all of those players from quite a young age and I know that some of our funds are going towards their development and I think that is the part that pleases me.
“All the work we do behind the scenes is the hard part but it is great at this time of the year when we give the donation over to Craig and the guys at the Academy and then you see it being put to good use.
“When you see one of the kids break through like Nathan it is great and that is what we take from it.”
Colin thanked the Rangers fans for their overwhelming support over the past year.
He concluded: “We can't thank them enough, the £450,000 came from the fans, it didn't come from RYDC, we just facilitate it.
“They have been magnificent not just for RYDC but for the whole of the club, the MyGers packages, RTV etc. they are the best fans in the world.
“Certainly in terms of RYDC it is their money we are giving to the academy on their behalf so we can't thank them enough.”
For full details on RYDC products – Rangers Lotto, Rangers Quiz, The Union Jackpot, Scratchcards, Stadium Bricks and Rangers Pools - visit www.rydc.co.uk or call 0141 427 4914.