News

Celebrating 20 Years of the Rangers Charity Foundation

Thu 20th October 2022

The Rangers Charity Foundation was launched at Ibrox Stadium in October 2002, and at this weekend’s match, 20 years later, we are proud to be celebrating the charity’s amazing achievements over the last two decades and the huge difference it has made in the local community and beyond.

As part of the celebrations at the game, Foundation volunteers will be out and about around the Stadium selling a new limited edition 20th Anniversary Foundation pin badge, and we’ll have a roving photographer with our special 20th anniversary ‘selfie frame’ so supporters can share their snaps on social media. Please remember to tag the Foundation and use the hashtag #RCF20thAnniversary with your pictures!

Watch out too for a highlight’s video on the Stadium’s big screens and in the Fan Village, showcasing some brilliant memories over the last 20 years.

It’s incredible to think that 20 years ago the Foundation had just one employee and now has 20 members of staff, plus 18 part-time community coaches, delivering over 20 programmes in the local community, working with charity partners, fundraising and organising Dream Fund activities – and more!

The Foundation recently passed the major milestone of donating over £6 million in cash and in-kind contributions to a range of charities, grassroots projects and fundraisers. Last season alone, it helped over 8000 people via its community programmes, focusing on health and wellbeing, employability, education and inclusion.

Did you know that the Foundation has donated over £250,000 to projects supporting the homeless, and £190,000 to charities supporting serving personnel and veterans? Or that it is one of just five football partners of the world’s leading children’s charity, UNICEF, alongside the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United?

The Foundation has worked with cancer charities such as Breast Cancer Now, Prostate Cancer UK and Maggie’s and various charities supporting people with autism, visual impairment, disabilities, mental health issues and other health conditions such as stroke, cystic fibrosis and dementia.

It has also focussed on assisting charities for children and young people such as Children 1st, Teenage Cancer Trust and Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.

We hope you are as proud as we are of these amazing achievements – and we couldn’t have done any of it without the incredible support of the Rangers Family!

We’ve put together a timeline of just some of the highlights of the last 20 years of the Foundation in today’s programme, but you can also find out more on the Foundation’s website at www.rangerscharity.org.uk.

2002 – The Foundation is launched with just one employee to consolidate and expand the club’s existing charity work

2008 – Barry Ferguson helps the Foundation announce UNICEF, the world’s leading Children’s Charity, as its new International Charity Partner.

2009 – Nacho Novo unveils the True Blue Hero scheme to recognise fundraisers. The scheme goes on to become hugely popular and even won an Institute of Fundraising Award in 2011.

2009 – The Foundation holds its first ever Dream Day event which is still held twice every season. Fans in need of a boost met the entire First Team, watched training and enjoyed a tour of Ibrox and lunch.

2010 – Arthur Numan opens the new Teenage Cancer Trust space at the charity’s unit in Glasgow funded by the Foundation, providing teenagers with their own area to hang out with their peers during their treatment.

2011 – Old friends Sir Alex Ferguson and Walter Smith get together to hand over the Foundation’s donation of £100,000 to Unicef.

2013 – The Foundation tackles mental health with SAMH, urging fans and the wider public to talk about mental health and seek help if they need it.

2015 – The Foundation reaches its target of funding 1 million vaccines with UNICEF, helping to protect the world’s most vulnerable children from deadly but preventable diseases.

2015 – Fans sleep out overnight at Ibrox for the first time to raise funds for the Foundation’s partnership with Glasgow City Mission, helping those affected by homelessness.

2016 – Foundation staff enjoy a tour of the new Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice in Bellahouston Park, having helped raise funds for the Family Lounge in the palliative care facility.

2016 – The Foundation takes over responsibility for all charitable community programmes previously delivered by the Club, including Football Fans In Training and Glasgow Veterans United.

2018 – The Foundation introduces a new, free programme for P2 kids, Get Ready For Sport, which encourages them to get active and learn about their own health and fitness.

2018 – The Foundation and UNICEF celebrate a decade of partnership at a special anniversary match, with the Foundation donating ten temporary school tents, ten school kits and ten childhood development kits, as well as hundreds of school bags, footballs and skipping ropes.

2019 – The Foundation holds a Race Night in solidarity with Fernando Ricksen, raising funds for St Andrew’s Hospice, where he was cared for.

2019 – The club and Foundation win a prestigious international social responsibility award – the Football Is More International CSR Award – in recognition of their life-changing work in the community.

2019 – The club and Foundation receive the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme’s Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence in recognition of their work with the armed services and services related charities.

2019 – Our first ever Hub In The Community Officer is appointed and starts work in Govan High School, mentoring vulnerable pupils. The Foundation now has four Hub Officers and plans to launch a fifth in the near future.

2019 – Free Autism Friendly Football sessions start for children on the spectrum and quickly becomes one of our more popular programmes.

2020 – The Foundation responds to the COVID-19 pandemic with a range of initiatives designed to help people during lockdown. These initiatives are later recognised by being shortlisted for a Football Business Award.

2021 – The Foundation is chosen as one of only two organisations in Glasgow to host a new Youth Hub as part of an exciting initiative from Jobcentre Plus designed to help local young people into work.