Scottish football club Rangers FC has announced a new strategic and commercial partnership with governing body of Indian football, the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
As a FIFA and Asian Football Confederation member, the AIFF oversees all football in India, including the Indian National team, Indian Super League, I-League and the Super Cup, as well as managing the women’s teams and youth national squads.
The new relationship will build on Rangers’ existing partnership with leading Indian Super League side Bengaluru FC. It will help the Glasgow-based club to further grow its footprint and commercial ventures in India, as its fanbase in the country continues to expand.
Rangers will deliver a wide range of programmes to support thousands of Indian coaches covering areas such as talent identification, scouting and analysis. A group of AIFF coaches and members will be travelling to Glasgow and see first-hand the coaching and facilities at Rangers.
James Bisgrove, Commercial & Marketing Director at Rangers, commented, “The partnership with the AIFF, alongside our strong cooperation with Bengaluru FC, will provide a renewed focus to our activities in India, which is an integral pillar of the club’s international strategy.
“Indian football continues on a rapid growth trajectory and we’re excited by the potential commercial opportunities that are emerging.
“The first Rangers Supporters’ Club was recently formed in India and, as the restrictions of the pandemic are removed, we’re looking forward to expanding Rangers’ presence in the market.
“We’re incredibly excited and proud that Rangers can play a role in the continued growth and development of Indian football alongside our partners in the region.”
Savio Medeira, Technical Director and Head of Coach Education, AIFF, added, “I am honoured that Rangers FC have signed an agreement with us. We are trying in our own way to be self-sustainable in various technical programmes. The association with this historic club will add extreme value to our coach education programme, scouting processes, talent identification, and analysis amongst others, all in our endeavour to move forward together.
“The exchange of coach education programmes will benefit Indian football immensely as our coaches will be able to learn and interact with the best of the world.”
Despite missing out on the Scottish Premiership title to Celtic, Rangers still had a successful season in 2021/22, reaching the UEFA Europa League final and winning its first Scottish Cup in six years, beating Hearts in the final.
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