[2][3] The competition comprised the reserve sides of five clubs; Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Leith Athletic and the Queens Park Strollers.

The regionalisation also saw Scottish reserve football postponed as the war effort put a major strain on the resources and playing staff of clubs with many of them serving in the Armed forces and some seeing active service abroad.

The formation of the Scottish Premier League in 1998, resulted in a significant change in youth team football in Scotland.

The opening of Rangers Training Centre (known as Murray Park) in 2001 was the one of the first stages in the club's move to develop a football academy.

Derks new role was strategic and operational and saw him lay the foundations for the club's academy as well as helping the transition of the youth set-up to the new training centre.

[11] The activities of Rangers Youth Development Ltd were largely unnoticed and the company was dissolved after submitting its final set of accounts in June 2010.

In September 2005, as part of a restructuring of the club management, Adams left his role as director of youth football.

[14] At the end of its first season (2018–19) which Rangers entered and won, the club – along with several others – intimated that they would withdraw from the Reserve League to play a variety of challenge matches, in a similar manner as two years earlier.

In 2017, the Rangers academy was one of eight across the country designated 'elite' status on the introduction of Project Brave, an SFA initiative to concentrate the development of the best young players at a smaller number of clubs with high quality facilities and coaching than was previously the case.

[21][22] Rangers operate a North American Academy, which began in 2014,[23] and have thirteen partner clubs across the United States and Canada.

[26] In June 2016, Rangers announced a partnership with East Dunbartonshire council which saw 24 of the club's youth players aged 11 to 15 attend Boclair Academy (located a short distance from the Auchenhowie complex) allowing them to combine their academic and football studies.

[36] In the 2019–20 UEFA Youth League, Rangers defeated BSC Young Boys of Switzerland in the opening round on away goals after a 5–5 result on aggregate,[37] and eliminated Slovakians Slovan Bratislava 4–1 in the next.

In the 2019–20 edition, they travelled to Northern Ireland and defeated Ballymena United who had been NIFL runners-up in the previous season,[40] then knocked out Solihull Moors of the English National League, again away from home, this time on penalties.

They were drawn away to Inverness CT in the semi-finals, meaning the Wrexham match would be their only home fixture in the competition, with two ties in England, one in Northern Ireland and one in the Scottish Highlands 170 kilometres (110 mi) from Glasgow.

[44] A few days earlier, Rangers' run in the UEFA Youth League also came to an end with a 4–0 defeat to Atlético Madrid.

As of 7 February 2025[46] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.

[67] However, expectations of an instant success were not accurate and with reported running costs of the facility equalling £1.5m,[67] many commentators asked if the investment in the training ground and youth department was worthwhile.

This includes the transfer of Nathan Patterson, the single largest fee received in the club's history for any player.

The list includes all youth team graduates from the opening of the Rangers Training Centre in 2001 to the present day.