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Gordon Montgomerie has been a lifelong supporter of Rangers F.C., following the club for nearly eight decades. He attends the Football Memories programme delivered by the Rangers Charity Foundation, alongside his daughter, Maureen.

Maureen first heard about Football Memories through promotional material and immediately felt it would benefit her dad.

“There was something I’d seen about it and I thought it would be good for my dad. It’s for people who can have memory problems and his main interest is football, especially Rangers. So I phoned up about it.”

After contacting the Foundation, Gordon began attending sessions. They have now been involved for two seasons.

For Maureen, bringing her dad along means far more than just attending a weekly session.

“It gets him out the house, it gets him seeing other people. Otherwise it’s just him and my mum in the house. They’re in the house a lot.”

Football has always been central to Gordon’s life, and Football Memories provides a space where that passion is shared and celebrated.

Gordon’s connection to Rangers stretches back almost 80 years:

“Well, I’ll be 80 in a couple of months. So, at least 79 years I’ve been a Rangers supporter.”

At the sessions, watching archive footage and discussing past matches often sparks something powerful.

“His memory’s shot at times, but he’ll watch a bit of footage and go, ‘Oh, I was at that game. I remember that game.’”

For Maureen, those moments are invaluable.

“You could ask him what he had for breakfast and he wouldn’t be able to tell you. But if you talk about who took a corner kick in 1964, he’ll tell you straight away. It’s good for them to be able to say, ‘I know about that,’ instead of, ‘I don’t know.’”

When asked what he enjoys most about the sessions, Gordon highlights the shared stories and connections:

“The things that you gather from the other people there. We’ve all got different memories, and memories of different games.”

“The amount of folk I’ve got to know… you don’t need to sit in the same seat every time… I sit with this wee old lady because we discovered we went to the same school.”

The social side of the programme has made a noticeable difference.

“He can sit in the house and say nothing all day. But here he’s chatting to people — ‘Hiya, how are you?’ It’s completely different.”

The impact often continues long after the session ends.

“He’ll go home and tell my mum all about it — you’d think he’d been here all day, not just an hour.”

Guest speakers — including former players — have proven particularly meaningful.

“When someone like Colin Stein walks in, he was their hero. It’s not about now, it’s about looking back. It triggers a lot of memories for the folk in there, which is brilliant.”

Maureen has also seen how having something to look forward to lifts her dad’s mood.

“He’ll message me during the week and say, ‘Memories Club this week?’ He’s standing at the door waiting on us. It’s something for him.”

The programme also provides vital support for carers and family members.

“It’s good that you see there’s somewhere you can go and everybody’s in the same boat.”

“For a lot of the people there, they are carers. So it’s someone else for them to talk to. They can have a chat and a coffee with somebody else.”

Even small gestures contribute to the welcoming atmosphere for Gordon:

“When you go in and you get your seat, they’re up at you in minutes with tea, coffee, biscuits… a pie.”

Beyond the sessions themselves, special experiences organised through the Foundation have created lasting memories. Gordon was invited to sit pitch-side at Ibrox — an experience he still talks about.

“He absolutely loved it. He was taking it all in, looking around at everything. He’s still talking about it — he said it was amazing.”

For Maureen, programmes like Football Memories are essential.

“It’s very, very important. Without it, my dad would just be sitting in the house.”

“There’s not enough things like this for people with problems with their memory. It stirs the things they remember.”

Football Memories demonstrates how the Rangers Charity Foundation supports not only individuals living with memory challenges, but also their families and the wider community.

For Gordon, it reconnects him with nearly 80 years of passion and pride.
For Maureen, it provides reassurance that her dad is not just remembering the past — but still actively part of something today.

The Rangers Charity Foundation would like to thank BOXT for their continued funding support of this vital programme.