Glasgow Rangers FC launch Bachelor of Science (BSc) undergraduate degree programme in Northern Ireland

The programme, which is run in conjunction with the Rangers Soccer Academy, was launched in the Long Gallery at Parliamentary Buildings in Stormont today, Thursday.

The degree is facilitated with webinars and coaching placements in Northern Ireland, together with face-to-face learning at Rangers facilities in Scotland.

Accredited by the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland, it is being run in collaboration with the Universal Centre of Sport (UCS) in Northern Ireland, the higher education arm of VLUK, a nationwide government funded and regulated training provider. Established in 2014, UCS is a UK-wide provider in Sports Education at Degree Level, operating on some 20 campuses in locations such as Manchester and Surrey.

Nathan Hanley, Soccer Academies Manager with Rangers, told the News Letter: "It is a blended course at home in Northern Ireland, with face-to-face teaching weeks that will happen at Ibrox and our training centre as well. And then the young people will be able to get work placement with the programme that I operate across Northern Ireland."

At present he oversees programmes coaching up to 600 young people in NI schools on a weekly basis. Rangers employs some 60 part-time coaches across NI to provide the coaching, who also run some 40 holiday camps from Randalstown to Rathfriland.

Staff at the Ibrox stadium will teach students on business, commerce and administration while training centre staff will teach coaching, sports science and medical matters.

"The big advantage of the course over other sports science degrees," says Nathan, "is the on-the-ground placement opportunities in local coaching environments which provides practical learning on top of the theoretical. We are best in class, with the quality of staff we have providing teaching on business, leadership, coaching and sports science."

The degree has already been running in Scotland for the past three years and launches in Northern Ireland this September.Some potential employment opportunities begin in local coaching placements with a view to a role to becoming a staff coach.

Application to the course will be through UCAS points, as for any other degree course.

For more details contact Nathan on [email protected]