As of: February 26, 2024, 1:55 p.m
By: Nico-Marius Schmitz
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Hero of the fans: Berraat Türker.
© Photo: Association
282 residents and a general store.
Loughgall FC is making football history as the smallest first division team in Europe.
And the German goalkeeper Berraat Türker is right in the middle of it all.
When Berraat Türker looks around, there are 100 years of life experience behind his goal.
The legend of a club that developed from a village club into the smallest first-class football club in Europe.
Hilbert Willis was behind the goal 50 years ago, when Loughgall FC was languishing in the depths of Northern Irish amateur football and the trees around Lakeview Park (as the stadium is called) were the only spectators.
Groundskeeper, President: But at 100 years old, Hilbert Willis is slowing down
And Willis is still standing there in 2023, leaning on his cane, but now thousands of fans are coming and the club is competing against the best in the country.
Willis was groundskeeper and president here, and he now left the lawn mowing to his son.
At 100 years old you can slow down a bit.
“He’s right behind my goal every game and during warm-ups.
He stands there like Gandalf the White.
He hardly talks, but I know for sure that I have to impress him, not anyone else,” Türker tells our newspaper.
A village has written history.
And a German goalkeeper is right in the middle of it all.
In a backyard in Hanover, Türker, the son of a Turkish mother and a German father, fell in love with football.
“I always built myself a goal and told my father: Bolt a few on it.
For me, goalkeepers were always the crazy ones, they fascinated me.” As a youth, Türker played for Hannover 96 for a short time, then the family moved to Ireland.
The then 12-year-old came through the junior ranks at first division club Monaghan United, “but when I was ready for the first team the club went bankrupt.”
Has shaped the club for decades: Hilbert Willis.
© Photo: Association
Türker tried it in his mother's home country, traveled in Turkey from club to club, from contract to contract, none of which were kept.
“I jetted around like a circus clown, there were only empty promises everywhere.
Turkey was a life experience that either takes you away from football completely or makes you stronger.” Then back to Northern Ireland in 2017.
Warrenpoint Town FC, Second Division.
He played there for three years and managed to stay in the league twice.
But then a new coach came along and Türker immediately sensed that it was no longer a good fit.
His father had died a few months earlier.
Türker actually wanted to take a break from football to recover mentally and worked as a model.
The village is tiny, there is only one street
But then the call came from Loughgall.
At the time it was still in the second league.
“I was immediately enthusiastic about the club.
You could feel that something was happening here.
The village is tiny, there is only one street, you can be out again in ten seconds.
But everyone loves football and their club.” There are 282 residents in Loughgall and one general store.
The association relies on volunteers and on cohesion in the village.
The kit manager's wife cooks breakfast for the team, and the fans helped to make the stadium fit for the first league.
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But it's not just the passion that helps, the data also helps.
Those responsible are looking for players who have not been able to fulfill their potential at other clubs for a variety of reasons.
And receive support from Ulster University.
“The club has become more professional behind the scenes in recent years,” says Kyle Ferguson, lecturer in sports management in a ZDF documentary: “They use GPS, performance analysis.
Some of our students are there as interns and now we are starting to see some success.”
Smallest budget, but a lot of passion and important numbers
Together with Türker, they were promoted to the Premiership; as a team with the smallest budget, Loughgall FC is currently in eighth place (out of twelve clubs).
“There are five full-time teams in the league,” says the 32-year-old, who also works as an analyst: “But the ball is round for them too.
They have more to lose.
If they lose to Loughgall it will hit them harder than anything else.
We are not afraid of any opponent, we are unpleasant.”
On average, 1,000 spectators come to the games in the 282 soul village.
Here, Türker found the joy of football again and earned the love of the village: “The people here are all honest and don’t mince words.
Sometimes people tell me I should have a statue built for my achievements here.
“It gives me goosebumps,” says Türker: “You don’t play for the club here, but for everyone in the community.”
By Nico-Marius Schmitz