THREE talented North Ayrshire teenagers have taken their first steps towards what they hope will be the football big time.

Calum Adamson (9) from Saltcoats, Harry Weir (9) from Dalry and 10-year-old Louis Stewart of Irvine have all signed as Pro-Youths with Rangers FC.

They were snapped up after catching the eyes of talent spotters from the Ibrox club following successful spells with Three Towns club TASS Thistle FC.

Calum's dad Ross said: "The boys are all Rangers fans so this is a great opportunity. They will train three nights at Murray Park and hopefully some of the first team will be going in and out. They will also play in the Pro-Youth League against the top sides, including Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs."

He added: "The three boys have been with Tass for a few years and a couple of their old team-mates from the 2006s, Aiden McFarlane and Lewis Graham signed for Kilmarnock. I would like to thank the coaches Alex Webster, Steven O'Hare, John Slavin and Tommy McCann and Alex Tulloch for their support over the years. It's a really well run club."

Centre midfielder Calum and wingers Harry and Louis recently represented Rangers in a top international tournament in Belgium, which also featured other teams including Bruges, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven and FC 04 Schalke. The Glasgow side won two games and lost four.

They also played with TASS in an event in Barcelona and played very well, losing out to a German team in the final.

Ross Adamson added: "Playing for Rangers should be a great experience and eventually they hope to make the first team."