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Liam Kelly will be forever grateful to the Rangers Academy for the top-class education he received as a young player and he has thanked RYDC for the role played in his development.
Our latest £300,000 donation to the Academy means we have now provided more than £12.5 million since 2002 and youth talent like Liam have benefitted directly from our funding.
The Light Blues goalkeeper has always been a huge supporter of our work and he was delighted to join us at the training ground to confirm our latest amount.
He said: “I had a great grounding at Rangers when I was a youth player and now I have played for the first-team thanks to support from RYDC.
“They’ve donated so much money to the Academy and that contribution has helped so many people for so many years.
“I came through that system and the more money they get then the more opportunities there are for younger players to progress.
“RYDC serves the club really well and hopefully we can see more players coming through to the first-team.”
Kelly was only 8 when he walked through the blue gates at the training ground for the first time and 20 years later he finally fulfilled his lifelong ambition of playing for the Light Blues – against Dundee in December 2024.
He had progressed through the youth ranks and enjoyed positive loan spells with East Fife and Livingston before joining Livi in a permanent deal in 2018.
Liam’s form earned him a move to QPR then Motherwell who he was thrilled to captain during his spell at Fir Park.
He returned to Rangers for a second spell in June 2024 and although he knows he is primarily there to support Jack Butland, he has managed 15 appearances for his boyhood heroes so far and has starred in big games.
The Scotland international saved a penalty in a crucial Europa League tie against Athletic Club from Bilbao at Ibrox, kept a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over Celtic and more recently he featured in the 5-0 Scottish Cup victory against Annan.
He also has the chance to go to this summer’s World Cup with Scotland – he was part of the last European Championships squad – and he will always consider it an honour and privilege to be a Rangers player.
The 30-year-old continued: “I’ve played 15 games for the club now. My debut was a long time coming and I was desperate for it.
“It was fantastic to finally play for Rangers and I have also captained the club twice so that was a really proud moment for me.
“Without the grounding I had at the Rangers Academy, I would never have been able to do it, so that’s why RYDC funding is so important.
“Fans always like to see players progressing to the first-team and we have seen Findlay Curtis do that recently.
“Steven Smith also graduated from the Academy as a player, now he is a first-team coach and he deserves to be there.
“He’s a great coach, takes us for all the training sessions and the manager oversees it.
“Stevie’s very hands-on, he’s got a lot to say and that helps us as a team.
“He’s a big part of the first-team backroom staff and I’m delighted he’s there.
“I’m really grateful to the people I worked with when I was at the Academy. The coaches helped mould me into the player and person I am today.
“I’ve worked with a lot of brilliant people and the younger players here are on their own journeys now with their own coaches.
“Hopefully they’re enjoying it the way I enjoyed it and they can get to the Rangers first-team like I did.”
Youth development at the club is assisted by annual RYDC donations to the Rangers Academy and more than £12.5 million has already been provided.
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