In March 1872 four boys from Glasgow decided to start a football team of their own. The exact day was never recorded, only the month. So in March 2027 Rangers turn 155 years old, and their blue shirt is one of the oldest stories in football.

Four boys in a park

The founders were the brothers Moses and Peter McNeil, Peter Campbell and William McBeath. They were teenagers who loved rowing. They met at West End Park, today's Kelvingrove Park, and David Hill is also listed as a founding member.

In May 1872 they played their first match on Flesher's Haugh, part of Glasgow Green. The opponents were Callander and the game ended 0-0. It was not the most glamorous start, but it was a start.

A name taken from a rugby book

The name was suggested by Moses McNeil. He had read about an English rugby team called Swindon Rangers and liked the word. So a Scottish football club ended up named after a team from an English sport played with an oval ball.

Moses also made history on the pitch. He was the first Rangers player to be capped by Scotland.

The blue nobody can explain

The truth is that nobody knows why Rangers chose blue. Records from the early years are scarce, and sources admit that the origin of the colours remains unknown. Already in their second game, a win over Clyde, the team wore light blue shirts.

For almost 50 years the shirt was a lighter blue, and the deep royal blue arrived in 1921. Black socks first appeared in 1883, became standard in 1896 and in 1904 gained the red turn-downs still worn today. The first change strip (1876-1879) was all white, with a light blue six-pointed star on the chest.

There was also a short experiment. According to Gersnet, in 1882 the team switched to blue and white hoops after a bad run, at the suggestion of a superstitious former secretary. After one season the board voted unanimously to return to blue.

The RFC and the lion

Rangers have two official crests. The shirt carries the scroll monogram with the interlaced letters RFC, which is believed to date back to 1872. It returned to the chest in 1968 and since 2003, after the 50th league title, it has had five stars above it, one for every ten titles.

The second crest, with the lion rampant and the word "Ready", appeared in 1959. The motto comes from the Scots phrase "Aye Ready", meaning "Always Ready". Famous as it is, it has never been placed on the shirt.

Ibrox, Barcelona and nine in a row

Today's ground, Ibrox, was built in 1899, and Archibald Leitch's historic main stand opened in 1929. In 1971 it suffered its worst tragedy, when 66 people died on a stairway leaving the terracing. After the disaster the stadium was rebuilt almost from scratch.

The club's greatest European moment came in 1972 at the Camp Nou, with a 3-2 win over Dynamo Moscow in the Cup Winners' Cup final. Because of a pitch invasion, the trophy was handed over in the dressing room. At home, Rangers have twice won nine league titles in a row, and 55 titles in total.

The blue shirt has been worn by legends such as Jim Baxter, John Greig, Ally McCoist, Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne. Since 2025 the kit has once again been made by Umbro, the company that also supplied the club's strips from the late 1970s.

Celebrate with us

Four kids in a park, a name from a rugby book and a blue that nobody can explain. From those ingredients came one of the most historic clubs in the world.

Happy 155th birthday, Rangers! May you wear your blue with the same pride for centuries to come.

See our Rangers jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Ibrox during a League Cup match, 2023 – DaHuzyBru, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.