Where Are They Now? – Stephen Kelly – Rangers Youth Development Company

Rangers Academy graduate Stephen Kelly moved to America last summer to play for USL side Orange County and he is loving his new life in sun-drenched California.

The talented midfielder, who is 26 in April, has packed a lot into his career so far and had already racked up more than 200 competitve appearances before his new adventure began across the Atlantic.

Kelly progressed through the Light Blues youth ranks and Steven Gerrard handed him his first-team debut against Ayr Utd at Ibrox in September 2018.

It was a proud moment for Stephen who was still a teenager and he continued his football education with successful loan spells at Ayr in the Championship and Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.

When he returned to Rangers for the 2021/22 campaign, he featured again under Gerrard in early games against Dunfermline and Alashkert in the Europa League but he needed to play and joined Salford on loan where he featured regularly.

The Scotland youth international then moved permanently to Livingston in September 2022 and spent three seasons with David Martindale’s side, helping them win the Challenge Cup and promotion back to the top-flight last term.

Now he is settled in America’s Golden State and thriving in his new environment.

In a wide-ranging interview as he showed his support for The Rangers Youth Development Company – who have donated more than £12 million to the Academy so far – Stephen reflects on his time in Glasgow and life after leaving the Light Blues.

He said: “I enjoyed my time at Livingston and I’d played a lot of minutes in Scotland and during my loan spell in England but it was always on my mind to try something a bit different.

“Orange County were pretty keen to sign me. They really tried to get me to come over and made me feel wanted.

“I’m not a young player anymore but I’ve still got quite a bit to go in my career and this has been a great experience. It really is great to be here.

“To say California is massive is probably an understatement but it is a fantastic place to live and play football.

“It’s just a totally different way of living. You get sun every day, there are beaches close by and I feel at home here.

“I joined in June and it has been a pretty smooth transition. Initially I had a few issues in terms of the sun and dehydration but other than that, it has been pretty good.

“The club has been great with me and they have good facilities. The people who work at the club are all really hard working people who just always try to help.

“They love their sports here. Football is definitely growing in America and when we’re playing at home, we’re getting 4,000 or 5,000 fans in the stadium, which is quite a good number.

“The standard of the league has been good and there are tough games.

“It’s probably better than I expected it to be. Obviously, some aspects are different to Scotland and the intensity is a bit different to the physicality back home, but the tactical side is excellent and there are some technically gifted players in most teams.

“The format of the league is also different but I have enjoyed it.

“In the regular season you have 30 plus games and then the top 8 from each conference, the East and the West, go into the Play-offs.

“After that, 1st plays 8th, 2nd plays 7th and so on and it’s just a straight knockout.

“It adds to the pressure because it’s a one-off shootout type of game.

“When I first came, we were between seasons, so I took a couple of weeks getting ready to play but once I got in the team, I felt pretty good.

“I’ve been playing a bit differently in terms of a deeper midfield role from my time at Livingston, but I’ve really enjoyed it.

“I can see more of the game in front of me.

“The games here are quite intense and if you lose the ball, there are lads in every team that can win it back really quickly.

“The training is quite physical, it’s intense, it’s sharp and there are some really, really good athletes in all teams.

“My day-to-day is still fairly simple. Training, gym then lunch but instead of going to a coffee shop or going home we go to the beach.

“We stay about 25 minutes away from Newport Beach or Laguna Beach and it’s great to go there so I’m really happy with the move.

“I’m still relatively young but I’ve already played a lot of games in my career.

“Last season I’d hit 200. I had over 100 for Livingston and 200 overall in my career so that was pretty good going. I’m happy with that after breaking through from the Rangers Academy.

“I was small compared to other players when I was there but that actually helped me as I played in so many games in tough environments and had to deal with it.

“I worked with a lot of good coaches at the Academy too. Malky Thomson, Alan Boyd, Billy Kirkwood, Peter Lovenkrands and then Kevin Thomson for a bit before Covid.

“Even when I was a kid, you had guys like Ian Durrant and Gordon Durie around and they would always try to help the younger lads.

“You were learning about standards and a winning mentality. You need to be a good player but I think if you don’t have those standards and that mentality then you probably struggle.

“I enjoyed my time at Rangers. It was a good time to be there as Steven Gerrard came in and he was amazing.

“That’s when I first started getting exposed to the first-team and the level increased every six months when better players came in.

“Even though I wasn’t playing at that time, I think I benefited a lot from it.

“There were so many good midfielders at the club and you can’t help but learn. For six months, I was just training with guys like Steven Davis, Glenn Kamara, Scott Arfield and Andy Halliday and it was a great experience.

“I worked hard but I always expected to make my Rangers debut. It came against Ayr Utd at Ibrox in the League Cup in 2018 and it was a great night for me and my family.

“It was great to play after being at the Academy for so many years.

“I still remember it well and it was special because Steven Gerrard gave me my debut.

“He took a liking to me at that point and that made it a bit more special for me as he was one of the best midfielders ever to play the game.

“I took it all in my stride.

“After that I went on loan to Ayr Utd then Ross County in the Premier League and that helped me grow as a player.

“It would have been easy for the manager to just keep me at Rangers and enjoy training and be a part of it, but he knew at that point I had to play and get more experience.

“It was going to be a lot more beneficial for my career to go and play games and I think I started every single one at Ayr Utd.

“Ross Country was a bit more difficult as it was during Covid but I enjoyed the challenge of playing regularly.

“At big clubs like Rangers, you know if you’re in the squad you might get an opportunity due to an injury or through suspension but I think once you go out and start playing it’s then in your own hands.

“It’s up to you how you’re going to perform and I think as a footballer that’s what you need to be looking at.

“After I came back from Ross County, I did pre-season at Rangers and played in some games and that was when I felt I deserved a chance.

“When you looked at the squad there were so many internationals so I think it’s very difficult for an academy player to say they should be playing.

“I feel some more opportunities should maybe have come my way.

“Ultimately, they never came but that’s just also part of being at a big club.

“I went to Salford on loan for the second half of the 2021/22 season and that was a good move as well.

“I had a great experience and loved Manchester. Playing in England is really tough but I enjoyed it and then I joined Livingston.

“David Martindale gave me an opportunity to go and play and my first season was probably as good as I could have hoped.

“I was playing and scoring goals and we went to Ibrox and got a draw so things went well for me.

“The second season was difficult and we got relegated but even the second half of last season in the Championship was really enjoyable.

“We won the Challenge Cup, got promoted through the Play-offs and we reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.

“That was a great spell and there were a lot of Rangers Academy players in the squad.

“Danny Wilson, Andrew Shinnie, Robbie Fraser, Danny Finlayson, Jamie Brandon and me.

“Other teams in the SPL and Championship should be filled with lads from clubs like Rangers.

“I’m enjoying playing in America now. I wanted to test myself in a different environment and it has been a great experience so far.”

Stephen’s career development was assisted by annual RYDC donations to the Rangers Academy and more than £12 million has already been provided.

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