Rangers ready to pay £40k to keep B team in Lowland League
Rangers are prepared to part ways with £40,000 to keep their B team in the Lowland League with a second vote scheduled, according to the Sun.
The B team, managed by David McCallum and Brian Gilmour, finished second in the 2021-22 season behind champions Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic but they did beat out Old Firm rivals Celtic on goal difference.
The assumption was that the young Gers would be allowed to play in the competitive senior league again in 2022-23 with promotion not being an option to keep the integrity of the division but when Hearts stated their intentions of joining too, some clubs started to worry.
A vote has already been concluded which decided that the B sides would not be allowed to re-enter the league but there will now be a second vote on Monday 6 June to finally decide their fate.
To help cover the costs of extra games, Rangers, Celtic and Hearts will all pay £40,000 to enter the division which is a £15,000 increase from what the Old Firm paid 12 months ago.
Crucial
There might not have been too many Rangers fans who took a huge amount of notice of their B side’s results in the Lowland League but playing competitively, even against semi-professional players, is massively important for the development of the club’s youngsters.
We’ve already seen the likes of Alex Lowry, Leon King and Alfie Devine make their Light Blues debuts having featured for the B team and there are more pushing to barge their way into Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s plans.
They wouldn’t have caught the eye as much as they did though if they were only playing against other academy sides every single week and the way they stepped up to senior football proved how good a B team ran right can be.
As long as the no-promotion clause remains, there is surely no reason why the teams in the Lowland League wouldn’t want the Old Firm and Hearts to enter because it gives them a great chance to earn some money from not only the entry fees but also attendances if the senior sides aren’t also playing that day.
In other Rangers news, one of van Bronckhorst’s lesser-seen players has already packed up his bags and left Glasgow to head back home.