Rangers W.F.C. facts for kids
| Full name | Rangers Women's Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Blue Belles | |||
| Founded | 2008 | |||
| Ground | Broadwood Stadium Cumbernauld, Scotland |
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| Capacity | 8,086 | |||
| Owner | The Rangers Football Club Ltd | |||
| Chairman | John Bennett | |||
| Manager | Jo Potter | |||
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Rangers Women's Football Club is a professional women's football team. They play in the Scottish Women's Premier League. This is the top league for women's football in Scotland. The team is part of the famous Rangers football club.
Contents
Team History: How Rangers Women Started
Early Days as Paisley City Ladies (1999-2008)
The team started as Paisley City Ladies in 1999. Before that, they were called Arthurlie Ladies. They began in the third, which was the lowest, division. By 2001, they had moved up to Division One. This was just below the Premier League. They stayed in Division One until 2008. In their last season, the club faced money problems. They looked for a partner club to help them.
Rangers Women's Football Club is Formed (2008)
In 2008, Rangers F.C. decided to create a women's team. Other big Scottish clubs like Celtic and Hibernian already had women's sections. Rangers joined with Paisley City Ladies to form the new team. Drew Todd, a coach from the Rangers youth academy, became the team's first coach. Scotland player Jayne Sommerville was the first captain.
The new Rangers team took Paisley City's place in the league. Many players also moved to the new club. Rangers won the league in their very first season! They also reached the final of the Scottish Women's Cup. They lost 5–0 to Glasgow City. Even so, they were the first team from a lower division to reach the final.
New Coaches and Challenges (2010-2018)
In 2010, Scott Allison became the new manager. He was a former player for East Stirlingshire. The team reached the Scottish Women's Cup final again. But they were beaten 2–1 by Hibernian.
In May 2011, Alana Marshall made history. She was the first female Rangers player to be called up to the senior Scotland team.
In 2012, Rangers F.C. faced serious financial difficulties. This also put the women's team at risk. However, the team kept playing. They had to manage with a smaller budget. Angie Hind became the new coach. She used her contacts to bring in good players. In the 2014 season, Rangers finished second. This was their best result yet.
Becoming Professional and New Home (2018-Present)
Before the 2018 season, the team's official name changed. It became 'Rangers Women' instead of 'Rangers Ladies'. In July 2019, the club made a big promise to women's football. They decided to make the women's team more professional. They would give them more money and support.
Amy McDonald, the coach at the time, got a new job. She became the Women's Manager. Former player Grégory Vignal was appointed head coach. A few months later, the team moved their home games. They started playing at the Rangers Training Centre in Milngavie. This was after the facilities there were improved. Before that, they played at New Tinto Park in Govan.
In January 2020, Malky Thomson joined as a coach with Vignal. Vignal left in June 2020. Thomson then became the head of the women's first team. In 2022, the team moved their home games again. They now play at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld. This move happened because the training venue had issues with space and parking.
Current Squad
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Players Out on Loan
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Former Players
For a list of players who used to play for Rangers W.F.C., see:
Coaching Staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |  Jo Potter |
| Assistant Coach | Jay Bradford |
| Assistant Coach |  Craig McPherson |
| Women’s and Girls Managing Director | Donald Gillies |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Daniel Tobin |
| Head of Women's and Girls Goalkeeping Coach | Chris Flockhart |
| Women and Girls' Performance Analyst | Jake Boon |
| Sport scientist | Ashley Sweeney |
| Women’s and Girls’ Operations Co-ordinator | Sara Spiers |
| Kit Controller | Heather Renicks |
Season-by-Season Records
This table shows how Rangers Women have performed each season. It includes their league position and results in different cups.
| Rangers Women F.C. seasons | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | League division | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | Scottish Woman's Cup | SWPL Cup | Champions League |
| 2008–09 | Scottish Women's First Division | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 12 | 54 | 1st | Final | n/a | did not qualify |
| 2009 | Scottish Women's Premier League | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 12 | 7th | Final | Semi-final | did not qualify |
| 2010 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 52 | 53 | 28 | 8th | Third Round | Quarter-final | did not qualify | |
| 2011 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 51 | 50 | 26 | 7th | Quarter-final | Semi-final | did not qualify | |
| 2012 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 37 | 41 | 24 | 9th | Semi-final | Quarter-final | did not qualify | |
| 2013 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 55 | 35 | 33 | 5th | Quarter-final | First Round | did not qualify | |
| 2014 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 71 | 24 | 43 | 2nd | Semi-final | First Round | did not qualify | |
| 2015 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 30 | 57 | 24 | 6th | Third Round | First Round | did not qualify | |
| 2016 | 21 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 35 | 57 | 27 | 5th | Semi-final | Semi-final | did not qualify | |
| 2017 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 33 | 51 | 20 | 6th | Second Round | Quarter-final | did not qualify | |
| 2018 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 33 | 46 | 25 | 4th | Semi-final | Quarter-final | did not qualify | |
| 2019 | 21 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 35 | 57 | 34 | 4th | Quarter-final | Semi-final | did not qualify | |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | x | no competition | no competition | did not qualify | |
| 2020–21 | 21 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 76 | 10 | 48 | 3rd | no competition | no competition | did not qualify | |
| 2021–22 | 27 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 97 | 11 | 77 | 1st | Fourth Round | Quarter-final | did not qualify | |
| 2022–23 | 32 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 111 | 9 | 102 | 3rd | Final | Winners | Round 2 | |
| 2023–24 | 32 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 113 | 18 | 82 | 2nd | Winners | Winners | did not qualify | |
European History: Playing in the Champions League
Rangers Women have also played in the UEFA Women's Champions League. This is a big competition for top clubs in Europe. Here's how they've done:
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | UEFA Women's Champions League Champions Path |
QF Round 1 Semi-final |  Ferencváros |
3–1 | ||
| QF Round 1 Final |  PAOK |
0–4 | ||||
| QF Round 2 |  Benfica |
2-3f | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | 3–5 | ||
| 2024–25 | UEFA Women's Champions League League Path |
QF Round 1 Semi-final | Arsenal |
0–6 | ||
| QF Round 1 Third Place |  Atlético Madrid |
0–3 | ||||
f First leg.
Honours: Trophies and Achievements
Rangers Women have won several important titles:
- Scottish Women's Premier League: 2021–22
- Runners-up: 2014, 2023-24
- Scottish Women's First Division: 2008-09
- Scottish Women’s Cup: 2023-24
- Runners-up: 2008–09, 2010, 2022-23
- Scottish Women's Premier League Cup: 2022–23, 2023–24
- City of Glasgow Women's Cup: 2022 2023
See also
