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Village sign deal with Scottish giants

North Village players visited Glasgow last week as the two clubs signed a football development deal.

Premier Division powerhouse North Village have penned a five-year deal with Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers.The football development agreement is part of Rangers’ International Soccer Schools programme and follows link-ups between clubs in America, Australia and New Zealand.It will see Gers’ coaches share methods and techniques with the Rams whose youth teams will benefit from trips to the Light Blues’ training Murray Park.A group of 18 Village youngsters visited Glasgow last week as part of the initiative and Rangers’ overseas development officer Greg Statt said he was delighted the club were forging links in uncharted territory."One of the guys from North Village (Craig Gardiner), who is Scottish and has been living out there for 15 years, is a Rangers fan," Statt toldThe Glasgow Evening Times."He had seen that we do overseas soccer schools and formal affiliations so he got in touch and we have been chatting for a while."In April next year, a couple of our coaches are going out to Bermuda to work with their young players for a couple of weeks. We want to keep building the relationship."We are looking to widen the fan base and, looking at the players that have been here, there are some talented boys as well. You never know what might come of it on that side of things. It would be a bonus."We will keep in touch and share ideas and coaching methods. Coach education is a big part of it as it allows us to help them — even when we are not over there they can still work at the level that we are working at."It is in the early stages, we are still building the relationship. We are looking at a five-year agreement with a review every year in how we can improve it or change it."While the main aim of Rangers' new relationship is to improve the coaching methods on the Island, Statt believes the club could provide a pathway for any Bermuda youngster who showed sufficient potential."It is a soccer school relationship that we are building so it will all be youth players we are working with,” he said."It is not what the relationship is built on but we wouldn't be doing our jobs or the best for Rangers if we weren't looking at their talented players. We will put a pathway in place so that if there is someone who looks to be at the right level then they can come over."They will visit us every year and work with us and we will visit them so we will certainly be keeping an eye out for any young players that have got the talent."It is tough for kids of that age to go overseas so it is about having the desire to develop themselves as well."