National Scouting Report is dedicated to finding scholarship opportunities for athletes who possess the talent, desire, and motivation to compete at the collegiate level. We’ve helped connect thousands of athletes with their perfect college.
If you are ready to take your recruiting to the next level, click the Get Scouted button below to be evaluated by an NSR College Scout.
Get Scouted Scouting Careers
National Scouting Report scout Ian Rankin was a football (soccer) prodigy as a lad in Motherwell, the capital of North Lanarkshire in Scotland. And in a nation that really loves its football, being a young phenom is saying something.
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, somewhat akin to our counties here in the U.S. It borders the major metropolitan city of Glasgow on the northeast and contains much of Glasgow’s suburbs, commuter towns and villages. It also borders East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Stirling, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the South Central part of the country.
Youth sports in Scotland, like in most non-American countries, work differently than in the U.S. Much differently. In the States, generally speaking, athletes primarily advance through the school ranks — high school and college — and then perhaps become professionals.
There, if a young Scottish football player has the talent for it, he can be identified as early as 12 to compete at advanced levels for club teams in academies under the watchful eye of coaches paid by the clubs, plus receive a scholarship and basic living stipend. Athletes continue their schooling as usual but, in addition, receive a full dose of instruction from the club’s best football minds. Because the sport is wildly popular, these academy spots are highly sought after.
Rankin was invited to the Skill of Excellence at various clubs such as Everton FC (Football Club), Celtic FC, Queens Park Rangers FC, Airdrieonians FC and Motherwell FC. He was indeed 12 which, of course, put him in elite company.
Explained Rankin, “I played boys club football til I was 16 years old, then signed professionally for four years with Airdrieonians FC and Albion Rovers FC for two years. In addition, I played five more years at the semi-professional level. I started coaching at 17 years old while I was still playing. So altogether I clocked up 19 years of experience behind me.” Meanwhile, Rankin continued his studies at New College Larnarkshire.
Once he qualified as a coach with the Scottish Football Association, his future was pretty well set. But opportunities were just around the corner. An old friend of his from Motherwell had moved to America and was teaching and coaching soccer in Davis, Calif. In 2005, he contacted Rankin about helping out with a summer camp and Rankin jumped at the chance.
“It was an eye-opening experience,” Rankin said. “I learned so much there because of the different approach American coaches had and the different terminologies. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done for me personally and professionally.”
“I was a student of the game,” Rankin said. “I ate and slept it and found that I had a real knack for understanding game strategies and player positioning. It came quite naturally to me and I really enjoyed that side of the sport.”
Today, Rankin coaches at the professional club Motherwell FC Community Trust at the u-14 level.
“It’s an age group that needs special attention,” he said. “The very good ones can go farther if they are given great coaching and that’s what I try to do every day I’m with them.”
NSR discovered Rankin through an online ad in Scotland.
“[Area Director] Jerry Vance interviewed me several times,” Rankin said. “I saw NSR at once as something unique and wanted to be a part of it. Once Jerry asked me to lead NSR in this part of Scotland, I was ready to come to America for training.
“Being in the NSR home office [in Alabaster, Ala.] was wonderful. The people there took a lot of time with me as we went through every part of how recruiting works in American colleges. I thought that I knew something about it, but the information they gave me from start to finish made me very glad that I made the trip.”
Rankin believes NSR can be very successful in Scotland.
“I can help these young players,” he said. “Scotland does not have the same sporting culture as the U.S. I can give [the players] another avenue to continue their passion for soccer and education. It’s really exciting that I can help young people get the opportunity to live the dream in America.”
National Scouting Report is dedicated to finding scholarship opportunities for athletes who possess the talent, desire, and motivation to compete at the collegiate level. We’ve helped connect thousands of athletes with their perfect college.