Rangers signing policy

Between the 1920s and 1989, Scottish association football club Rangers F.C. had an unwritten rule whereby the club would not sign any player who was a known Roman Catholic. This was because Rangers were viewed as a "Protestant club" and as a deliberate contrast to their Old Firm rivals, Celtic who were viewed as a Catholic club, although Celtic have at no point in their history had a Catholic only sigining policy. The policy was ended in 1989 by Rangers manager Graeme Souness when he signed Mo Johnston.

Prior to the First World War, Rangers did not have any policy regarding religion dictating if they could be signed or not. Prior to the war, Rangers did have a number of Catholic players. In the 1920s, following the rise in popularity of the Orange Order in Glasgow where Rangers players and directors attended functions, Rangers quietly introduced an unwritten rule that the club would not sign any player or employ any staff member who was openly Catholic. The policy was kept a secret within Rangers until 1965 when Ralph Brand revealed to the News of the World that Rangers operated a Protestants-only policy when he left them for Manchester City. Two years later vice-chairman Matt Taylor was asked about perceived anti-Catholicism with the "No Catholic" signing policy at Rangers, he stated "[it is] part of our tradition ... we were formed in 1873 as a Protestant boys club. To change now would lose us considerable support". The policy was mirrored by Northern Irish club Linfield, who shares a similar club culture to Rangers, up until the 1980s as a contrast to their Big Two rivals Glentoran though it was not as strict as Rangers'. Some Catholic players did play for Rangers during this time despite the policy with Don Kitchenbrand keeping his Catholicism secret and Laurie Blyth, who left the club after his Catholic faith was discovered. There were also claims by some former Rangers players that the policy extended to non-Catholic players who married Catholics. However the former Rangers player and Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, himself married to a Catholic, confirmed that marriage to a Catholic was not a part of the signing policy to exclude players.

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