Since 2002, all profit from RYDC products has gone towards youth development at Rangers and 12 months ago the organisation presented Head of Academy Craig Mulholland, Academy graduate Nathan Patterson and young forward Kai Kennedy with a cheque for £450,000.
The football landscape has obviously changed due to the Coronavirus pandemic and with no supporters able to attend games for the majority of 2020, RYDC has lost revenue from matchday products like Rangers Lotto, The Union Jackpot half-time draw and Scratchcards.
However, they have worked tirelessly to seek alternative non-matchday opportunities for fans, and those fans have responded magnificently once again. Such has been their loyalty to RYDC and the club, another £450,000 has been raised for Academy use which is quite incredible in the current circumstances.
RYDC has now raised over £9 million and Director of Operations Colin Stewart has praised the generosity of the fanbase who continue to go above and beyond for their club.
He commented: “The Rangers Youth Development Company is thrilled to donate another £450,000 to the Rangers Academy and our supporters have shown unwavering loyalty by continuing to play our weekly products in such exceptional circumstances. I can’t thank them enough for their incredible backing.
“RYDC, like most organisations, has had to adapt due to the pandemic and we have introduced a midweek Rangers Lotto draw and a new Rangers Quiz product, which was launched in December.
“We are immensely proud to support the Rangers Academy and more than £9 million has now been provided down the years. I know the funds we donate annually makes a positive difference to Craig, his coaching staff and all the young players at the training ground and we will continue to do all we can to assist them throughout 2021 and beyond.
“RYDC also gave away over £300,000 in prize money to Rangers supporters in the past 12 months and we are delighted to do so. There is nothing better than seeing smiling, happy Rangers fans.
“We have always enjoyed a fantastic working relationship with Craig Mulholland and his Academy staff and I know everyone at the club is grateful for the level of support we are able to provide.
“But the hard work never stops and we will do everything possible to break the half a million pound mark next year.”
Head of Academy, Craig Mulholland, who accepted RYDC’s cheque alongside Leon King and Ciaran Dickson, commented: “As ever we are hugely indebted to Colin, his team at RYDC, and of course the Rangers supporters for their ongoing backing and belief in what we are trying to achieve in the Academy. That gratitude is even greater this year given the challenges RYDC have faced in raising the money and Colin and his team must receive huge praise for the innovation they have shown to still raise such a fantastic sum in the unique circumstances.
“The pandemic has forced organisations such as RYDC to be creative and fresh in their approach and that has also been the case in the Academy this year. The dynamic online programmes designed in a short period of time have been industry-leading and have supported all our players through lockdown in a way that everyone associated with the club can be proud of. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of RYDC.
“In 2020 we also witnessed debuts for Nathan Patterson, Kai Kennedy, Ciaran Dickson and 16 year-old Leon King. Nathan has now firmly established himself in the manager’s first-team group and we are delighted that Nathan, Kai and Ciaran have all committed to long term deals within the last couple of weeks, ensuring Rangers retain some of the country’s best young talent. In 2020 we also achieved the highest number of youth internationals we have ever recorded with a third of the Scotland under-21’s squad coming from Rangers Academy. This is a significant achievement and highlights to all young players the quality of football education they receive at Rangers.
“Pre-lockdown our ‘best v best’ games programme also went from strength to strength with our first ever participation in the prestigious UEFA Youth League, losing out to Atletico Madrid in the last 32 - the furthest any Scottish club had ever reached. We reached the semi-final of the SPFL Challenge Cup - further than any other Premiership Colt Team had ever achieved, and for the second year in a row, we had the Player of the Tournament at the Alkass Cup in Qatar when Charlie Lindsay followed Kai Kennedy, competing with players from the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG. These challenges are critical in the process designed to develop players for Rangers first-team.
“We now have 10 players across the top two divisions in Scotland undertaking their transition from Academy to first-team football on-loan with the likes of Josh McPake, Stephen Kelly, James Maxwell and several others all performing superbly for their loan clubs. In summary, this has been, despite the significant challenges, a very positive year for the Academy and an even more exciting future awaits. None of this is possible without the help and support from RYDC.”
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.