News

The Rangers Charity Foundation were delighted to welcome Captain Preet Chandi to Ibrox yesterday to recognise the completion of her solo expedition to the South Pole in January 2022. Captain Chandi attended a reception at the Ibrox Community Hub following a visit to Govan High School to meet local school pupils and tell them her inspirational story.

Guests representing a range of communities came together at our ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ multiplier event to share our common commitment to supporting diversity and inclusion for all and the Armed Forces and veterans.

The event showcased the work Rangers Charity Foundation has been doing as part of a Show Racism The Red Card project in partnership with European Football Development Network, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. Coaches have been working with P7s in over 30 local schools delivering a 5 week education programme covering topics such as racism, discrimination and LGBTQ inclusion, alongside providing teacher training. The well-known ‘Show Racism The Red Card’ campaign targets grassroots to elite clubs across 15 European countries and has reached over 5 million people online.

Connal Cochrane, Foundation Director commented:

“It was an honour to welcome Captain Chandi to Ibrox today in celebration of her achievements and marking our shared interest in the Armed Forces family as well as diversity and inclusion.

For many years we have been running Diversity and Inclusion education programmes in local schools. It was a real bonus today for pupils at Govan High School, where we have a full time member of the Foundation team employed to work with pupils who face potential barriers to reaching their potential.  I hope that the opportunity to hear from Captain Chandi about overcoming her own challenges and reaching the South Pole was an inspirational experience for the pupils.”

At Ibrox, Captain Chandi met guests from a wide range of ethnic minority groups and organisations including the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society who have been involved in supporting the Foundation’s Diversity and Inclusion work and the Club’s Everyone Anyone campaign. 

Originally from Derby, Preet has a strong sporting background and moved away from home aged 14 to play tennis at an academy. Aged 16, she moved to the Czech Republic where she attended Novak’s Tennis Academy. At age 19, she moved back to England to pursue a different path and joined the Army Reserve where she eventually commissioned in 2012. She went to university to study Physiotherapy and her appetite for greater challenges started to grow, completing her first half marathon at 20 years old, which quickly led to an ultra-marathon.

At age 27 she joined the Regular Army. She has completed large scale deployments in Nepal, Kenya and most recently a 6-month United Nations peacekeeping tour in South Sudan. She is currently based at 3 Medical Regiment in the North West of England. Her primary role is Clinical Training Officer and she is also the Medical Lead for the Army Rugby 7s team.

Lt Col Hugo Clark of Engagement Branch, HQ Army Scotland commented:

“The British Army is delighted to be involved and engaged”

The Rangers Charity Foundation has a long and proud history of supporting the Armed Services. Three years after signing the Armed Forces Covenant in 2016, Rangers FC and the Rangers Charity Foundation became the first British football club and its charity to be awarded the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence in recognition of strong support for the Armed Forces.

The Foundation pledges financial support to a range of services charities annually. This year, it has pledged support for ABF The Soldier’s Charity, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and the RAF Benevolent Fund.