Awards
Tue, Jun 30, 2009
IT is fitting that at a club which has enjoyed so much success on the park, Rangers have proved to award winners off the pitch as well.
Whether it has been for the club's work in the community, its marketing strategies or its publications, the Light Blues have been recognised for their efforts in various fields.
As Walter Smith led his football team to a league and Scottish Cup Double in 2008/09, there were many other prizes for those with Ibrox connections to celebrate too.
At the Clydesdale Bank SPL seasonal awards in May 2009, for example, Gers were triumphant in two prestigious categories.
The first accolade collected was for the Best Fan Marketing Initiative, a prize collected by Head of Marketing and Communications Irene Munro.
Rangers were acknowledged for an initiative which focused on developing contact with fans on an individual and collective basis as part of a season ticket strategy.
Launched in the summer of 2008, it aimed to make football more accessible and affordable for families whilst adding value and bringing people closer to the club.
The scheme led to season ticket prices for adults being frozen and juvenile equivalents being reduced by a third.
It also helped Gers to achieve almost 90% season ticket holders in relation to the capacity at Ibrox - one of the highest proportions in British football.
Club chief executive Martin Bain said: "Rangers Football Club is fully committed to engaging and communicating with supporters in the most productive way possible.
"That's with a view to encouraging families back to football and winning this award meant a great deal to everyone involved with the initiative.
"It was important to develop innovative ways to communicate directly with fans and the feedback we got was very positive."
At the same event, Rangers also picked up the Best Hospitality Award for the second year in succession.
A prize which is decided by guests attending matches at all SPL clubs, the Light Blues were rewarded for their diverse range of hospitality at Ibrox.
The choice of packages at the stadium now features casual dining, bars and more traditional formal dining.
Rangers Charity Foundation manager Connal Cochrane is another man who has become accustomed to picking up prizes for his efforts in recent times.
Indeed, he collected two from different organisations in just six months thanks to his personal commitment to the communities that need help most.
Connal's first award came from the Institute of Fundraising Scotland, who made him their Fundraiser of the Year for 2008.
He was later the recipient of an individual prize at the Evening Times Community Champion Awards for his work in the Govan and Craigton area.
Connal was singled out from a record number of entries in the first contest for the tasks he undertook.
They included single-handedly raising £7,000 by climbing to 100 Munro peaks in a single year in tribute to his late mother.
As part of that huge effort, Connal and a group of club fans went up Ben Lomond in May 2008 - taking the Scottish Cup with them - and raised £8,000 for the Charity Foundation.
In fact, the event was so successful that there was a repeat of it in 2009 and it was a huge hit with all involved once more.
Of course, Connal isn't a man to rest on his laurels and in February 2009, he and eight Rangers staff members were in Norway raising even more money for charity.
The group completed a 200km dog sled across the harsh, frozen wilds of the Arctic Circle in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees.
Connal's work has impacted hugely on the immediate community, particularly via the launch of a Community Grants scheme for the local Govan area.
He developed and launched an initiative which saw local charities and community groups in Govan and Craigton benefit from contributions of between £500 and £3,000.
In 2008, no less than 15 groups were aided with grants totalling a magnificent £28,000 and the hope is that more people will be helped with similar donations in time.
The Rangers Study Support Centre is another area of the club which made a big impression in June 2008 as it picked up the much-coveted 'Big Tick' prize.
Working in conjunction with the Rangers Football in the Community department and the Charity Foundation, it was honoured at the Scottish Business in the Community Awards.
The Awards for Excellence - supported by the Scottish Government - are the most rigorous awards recognising responsible business practice in the UK today.
Winners have to demonstrate a strategic and long-term approach to creating partnerships which have a measurable and enduring impact.
The ground-breaking Rangers Study Support Centre was launched in November 2001 and has inspired tens of thousands of children from across Glasgow since.
Costing £250,000 to set up, the facility was the first of its kind in Scotland and uses football as a vehicle to stimulate and motivate young people to learn.
It aims to develop literacy, numeracy and IT skills whilst increasing confidence, self-esteem and motivation.
Staffed by qualified teachers, the centre has developed a curricular designed to enhance and complement young people's work.
Through debating sessions, interviews with players and tutorials in football business and marketing, students are encouraged to think for themselves.
They enjoy an exciting, pro-active learning experience outside the usual classroom environment.
In addition, the centre runs dance classes to promote health and fitness and offers workshops tackling social equality, fair play and sectarianism.
Chief executive Bain said: "The club was delighted to receive recognition of our work in the community and in our investment in the education of future generations.
"Done through our Study Support Centre, we have achieved staggering results over a period of time.
"Along with our other projects via the Rangers Charity Foundation and Football in the Community, we have made a lasting impact on young people in Scotland."
Football in the Community were credited themselves for the strides they have made when they were given CommunityMark status in July 2008.
Something which recognises the best-investing companies in their local areas, Rangers were among 21 pioneering British businesses to get the inaugural award.
To gain the accolade, organisations have to pass rigorous, independent assessment, including scrutiny by their employees and community partners.
Having been successful, representatives from Ibrox were invited to 10 Downing Street to accept the prize on behalf of the Light Blues.
As such, Football in the Community officer Colin Atkinson and youth development manager Craig Mulholland travelled south to London.
Collectively with the other 20 companies acknowledged, Rangers contributed to an investment of almost £600million in the community in one year alone.
Atkinson said: "The club was delighted to receive CommunityMark status and being amongst the first group of companies in the UK to get it was great.
"It was wonderful to be acknowledged at 10 Downing Street. It reflects the dedication and breadth of the club's contribution to the community."
Not to be outdone, Rangers Media have been successful too as they have brought exclusive news from the club to its supporters before anyone else.
As well as producing a website which regularly attracts 500,000 unique users every month, they were multiple winners in the 2009 Programme Competition.
Heralded as the best value-for-money matchday publication in the SPL, it was also credited for having the best cover design.
In addition, it received one of just nine merit awards and featured prominently in the 'Best Read', 'Best Content', 'Most Improved' and 'Programme of the Year' categories.
