Sevco! It's a New Club, those are the rules.

Having noticed a constant and concerted motion by Charles Green, Ally McCoist, Ex Rangers players and the main stream media to drive through this 'Rangers are the same club', 'it's the parent company', 'holding company', I thought it was only right to point out the actual facts and rules regarding OldCo, NewCo.



Incorporation (Inc.) is the forming of a new corporation (a corporation being a legal entity that is effectively recognized as a person under the law). The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organization, sports club, or a government of a new city or town.



The most important thing to a football club is it's Licence / Membership. If you have a Licence / Membership you play football, if you don't, well, you don't play football. 

Section 3 – The Club as Licence Applicant and the UEFA Licence.

3.1 Definition of Licence Applicant

3.1.1 The Licence Applicant may only be a football club, that is the legal entity fully responsible for the football team participating in national and international competitions and which is the legal entity member of the Scottish Football Association (Full or Associate Member). The licence applicant is responsible for the fulfillment of the club licensing criteria.

On the face of it, it's pretty basic stuff. The licence Applicant must be a football club and that the Applicant is the legal entitled member thus gaining the football club Full or Associated Membership.

Now let's take a look at the SFA statement regarding the transfer of membership on 20 July 2012.

The Scottish FA indicated to Sevco Scotland Ltd that they had to accept responsibility for any sanctions arising out of this case as a condition of transfer of membership.

Now applying the UEFA rules and the SFA transferring the membership this brings up a number of questions. 

In the UEFA rules it states that the "Licence Applicant / Member may only be a football club, that is the legal entity fully responsible for the football team". If Rangers where the same football club why would they need to transfer the licence to another legal entity fully responsible for another football club?

Strange! 

If it was the same team why would you need to transfer the Licence / Membership.

So who has the Licence / Membership now?

Well the football club with 140 years of history which was Incorporated on 27 May 1899 and played under the name of The Rangers Football Club PLC (In Liquidation) did hold the licence until it was transferred to another legal entity.

The new legal entity which holds the Licence now, which under UEFA rules must be a football club is called The Rangers Football Club Limited, formally Sevco Scotland Limited Incorporated 29th May 2012. 

The only thing that has living history is the SFA Licence. 

The Rangers Football Club PLC (In Liquidation) are dead as a football club and don't have a licence / Membership.

The Rangers Football Club Limited formally Sevco Scotland do hold a Licence / Membership but don't have any great history to write home about.

Under the name The Rangers Football Club Limited, the new club incorporated on the 29th May 2012, the licensed member of the SFA are Rangers Youth Development Limited for obvious reason.


So did you think you had invested in your club when Charles Green ask you for your Christmas bonus?

I'm afraid not.

The fans invested in a totally different company than the club.

Fans invested in Rangers International Football Club PLC, Incorporated 16th November 2012.

This company does not have a licence and is not a member of the SFA. This company is not a football club. 

The new club and the new company which are separate entities where both Incorporated in 2012.


An important footnote to this.

The two recent parent / holding companies of The Rangers Football Club PLC (In Liquidation) namely Murray International Holdings Limited and The Rangers FC Group Limited formally Wavetower Limited, 100% owned by Liberty Capital are still in a position to trade.

RFC 2012 PLC formally The Rangers Football Club PLC (In Liquidation), Incorporated on the 27 May 1899, former SFA Member and Licence holder is not.






Below is a list of the 42 professional Licensed Member Scottish football clubs and their Incorporation dates.



Incorporation (Inc.) is the forming of a new corporation (a corporation being a legal entity that is effectively recognized as a person under the law). The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organization, sports club, or a government of a new city or town.

Scottish Premier League

Aberdeen. 27 May 1903

Celtic. 12 April 1897

Dundee. 12 July 1900

Dundee United. 3 june 1925

Heart of Midlothian. 29 April 1905

Hibernian. 11 April 1903

Inverness Caledonian Thistle. 17 November 2004

Kilmarnock. 20 June 1906

Motherwell. 30 September 1904

Ross County 11 August 1958

St. Johnstone. 9 August 1910

St. Mirren. 23 January 1905


Scottish Football League Division 1

Airdrie United (formally Clydebank). 2 June 1965

Cowdenbeath. 1 March 1905

Dumbarton. 26 Febuary 1914

Dunfermline Athletic. 15 January 1921

Falkirk. 26 April 1905

Greenock Morton. 30 July 1896

Hamilton Academical. 7 August 1903

Livingston. 2 Febuary 1993

Partick Thistle. 4 August 1903

Raith Rovers. 27 April 1948


Scottish Football League Division 2

Albion Rovers. 17 June 1919

Alloa Athletic. 5 April 1919

Arbroath. 1 December 2004

Ayr United. 2 December 2005

Brechin City. N/A

East Fife. 29 May 1911

Forfar Athletic. 12 August 1981

Queen of the South. 6 March 1922

Stenhousemuir. 22 August 1990

Stranraer. N/A


Scottish Football League Division 3

Annan Athletic. N/A

Berwick Rangers. 21 June 1952

Clyde. 25 January 1908

East Stirlingshire. 15 June 1910

Elgin City. 15 May 2000

Montrose. 30 July 1923

Peterhead. 23 August 1993

Queen's Park. 23 June 1903

The Rangers. 29 May 2012

Stirling Albion. 9 April 1946