Newly-formed Bellaghy Town FC look forward to playing in their first season of competition

Some sports followers might recall that some 40 years ago Bellaghy United played two seasons from 1984/85,1985/86 but sadly folded after the second season.

Ryan Campbell has been working on getting the team off the ground for some years.

He says they have received “first class” support from the local community with offer help and much needed sponsorship.

"Growing up in Bellaghy i played soccer and GAA, i enjoyed both, the GAA is a massive part of this town and I admire everything about it, the effort the people of Bellaghy put into the GAA here is remarkable,” he said.

“I tried my best to play both but like any young lad i dreamt of one day being a footballer and i had high hopes pinned on myself.

"At that time i played at Ballymena United, it was a 50-mile round trip every Tuesday/Thursday and Saturday morning but i never missed it, their youth set up was brilliant and it helped me develop skills and become better, I even reached a Milk Cup during my time there too.

"I was very young at that time and when i left i always imagined having that sort of set up in my own hometown, how amazing that could been not only for me but the rest of the youth within the town.

"I went straight into local soccer with alot of my friends, nearby clubs, namely teams like Draperstown Celtic and Magherafelt Sky Blues, i won quite a bit of silverware and i loved it.

"The local football really struck a cord, the effort that went into running these soccer clubs from all ages and their joy when a trophy was won was something else, great people giving back to their own community.”

Continuing, Ryan said some years ago he thought about setting up a soccer team in Bellaghy “possibility of creating a bit of history”, but never carried it through.

"Until this year when I decided to take that step and get it up off the ground, and from all the help and support we have recieved it has been first class and now our club is just now over 2 months away from our very first season.”

“We have just recently purchased our new kits from Outfield Clothing, our main club sponsor Glackin Electrics have been great in helping us , aswell as our other sponsors Diamond Slice, Docs Bar and The Taphouse Bar & Restaraunt.

We also just held our 1st successful fundraiser for our new season, it was a great turnout and it was terrific to see an interest in what we are trying to do.

But thats only the start for us as a Club, we have a five year plan, we have a small committee and we will be working towards Bellaghy Town FC not only someday having their own Soccer grounds here in Bellaghy but also having a Girls & Boys youth setup within that, its a big Community here and its the future that matters the most, this can be very successful in Bellaghy, this town is full of talent and im looking forward to seeing what we can achieve.