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For many young people, Saturday nights can often mean sitting at home with little to do. For Logan, however, weekends now look very different thanks to the Rangers Charity Foundation’s Saturday Night Youth Hub at the Ibrox Community Complex.

The programme provides young people with a safe, welcoming space where they can socialise, stay active and build confidence through sport and positive relationships. For Logan, who first heard about the Youth Hub through a friend, attending quickly became the highlight of his week.

“I went along at first just to see what it was all about because I enjoy playing football,” he explained. “But as soon as I got there, I loved it. I was excited because I got to play football right next to my favourite club’s stadium. Seeing Ibrox lit up on a Saturday night is an amazing feeling.”

Since attending the Hub, Logan has become a regular participant in the football sessions, where he enjoys spending time with friends in what he describes as an “energetic and competitive” atmosphere.

“What I enjoy most is getting to play football with my friends every week,” he said.

“It’s always a good laugh and everyone is there to enjoy themselves.”

“You can compete and have fun at the same time.”

As well as giving young people the opportunity to stay active, the Youth Hub creates an environment where they feel safe, supported and able to be themselves.

“I definitely feel safe there because I’m surrounded by my friends and the staff are really good with everyone,” Logan added. “It’s somewhere you can relax, be yourself and not feel judged.”

The impact of the programme has stretched far beyond football. Through attending regularly, Logan says he has grown in confidence and become more comfortable meeting new people.

“I’ve made lots of new friends through the Hub and it’s definitely helped my confidence,” he said. “Before, I’d mostly stay at home on my computer when I wasn’t at school, but now I’ve got something to look forward to every Saturday night.”

The sessions have also helped Logan develop his football skills, particularly in his favourite position as a goalkeeper.

“It’s helped me improve in goals because I get to play every week against different people,” he explained. “I really enjoy being a goalkeeper and the Hub gives me a chance to keep getting better.”

For Logan’s mum Amanda, the positive impact has been clear to see at home too.

“I never actually knew anything about the Youth Hub until Logan came home one Saturday night talking about how he’d been playing football at Ibrox with his friends and that they’d even given them free pizza,” she laughed. “Since then, he’s been desperate to go back every week.”

Amanda says the programme has helped bring Logan out of his shell and given him something positive to focus on outside of school.

“Logan can be quite quiet and normally spends a lot of time at home watching TV or on his computer, so I’ve definitely noticed a difference in his confidence,” she said. “He’ll come home from the Hub and actually sit and tell me all about his night, which is lovely because most teenagers don’t usually give away much information about what they’ve been up to.”

She has also noticed improvements in his routine and motivation at home.

“If he knows he’s going to the Hub, he makes sure all his chores are done before he heads out the door,” Amanda added. “To be honest, it’s probably the quickest I see him move all week.”

For Amanda, one of the most important aspects of the programme is knowing her son has a safe environment where he can spend time with friends.

“It’s really important that Logan has somewhere safe to go, especially on weekends,” she said. “The world can feel quite worrying these days, so knowing he’s somewhere supervised, doing something he enjoys and surrounded by good people is really reassuring.”

She believes programmes like the Saturday Night Youth Hub play a vital role in supporting not just young people, but the wider community too.

“There really isn’t enough out there for kids Logan’s age,” Amanda explained. “Having somewhere safe, monitored and positive for them to go keeps them active and stops them just wandering the streets bored at night.

“It gives them structure, friendships and something positive to focus on.”

Both Logan and Amanda would strongly encourage others to get involved.

“I’d tell anyone thinking about coming along to just do it,” Logan said. “You’ll meet new people, play football, have a laugh and enjoy yourself.”

Amanda agreed: “I’ve already recommended it to someone from work for her son. It’s brilliant for helping young people socialise, make friends and build confidence while doing something they enjoy.”

The Saturday Night Youth Hub is open every Saturday from 6pm to 8pm. Young people aged 10–18 can attend and register upon arrival.

The Foundation would like to thank the George and Annette Bell Foundation for their funding support of this programme over the course of this season.