ACADEMY PLAYERS TESTED AT GLENCORSE BARRACKS ARMY TRAINING

RANGERS Academy players were put through their paces recently with a full day of intensive army training.

The Professional Development Phase players – comprising the B Team and Under-18s – visited Glencorse Barracks in Edinburgh where they were pushed to their physical and mental limits by the team in charge of keeping The Royal Regiment of Scotland’s 2nd Battalion (2 SCOTS) ready for action.

The youngsters were given the full army treatment and were tested on their fitness, mental stamina, problem solving and communication skills in high pressure situations.

The team were also presented with a Rangers jersey signed by all B Team and Under-18s players, while the boys were invited to ask questions about the experiences of those in The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Academy Education Executive, Carolanne Gay, commented: “As an Academy we are more than just football development, and strongly believe in offering the correct combination of challenges and education to develop our young athletes.

“Within our Professional Development Phase, we have a responsibility to aid personal growth within the players football journey on and off the pitch, and our recent visit to Glencorse Barracks took these players out of their comfort zone and into a hard-hitting inspiring environment.

“The experience provided some intense team building tasks, and we hope generated some thought-provoking employment opportunities away from football. We ultimately aim for our young athletes to become leaders, role models and lifelong learners, which we feel this valuable experience has enhanced.”

B Team captain, Kristian Webster, continued: “It’s interesting talking to some of the staff as they’ve been here since they were 16 and this is the only life that they know.

“There is a comparison in the sense that football is all that we know, so it does make you appreciate what we have even more.