Fifteen years ago this week Ballinamallard United FC was rocked to the core by the sudden death of manager Greg Turley. His loss was felt widely throughout Fermanagh and his native Monaghan such was his influence in the community, but no more so than by his wife Lorna and young children Jessica, Jonathan & James. We think of them all at this time. Greg Turley was a distinguished player and later manager at Ballinamallard who played a key role in our early development as an Irish League club in the B Division during the 1990s. He managed us to our first national silverware winning the prestigious Intermediate Cup in 1995, and it was during his second spell as manager at the start of the newly re-named Second Division season 1999/2000 that Greg was tragically taken from us all. The Turley family retain close links to the club and Gregs legacy lives on in at Ballinamallard and more widely in a number of ways. The Greg Turley Memorial Cup is the most highly coveted individual youth award at the club, awarded annually to the player who has come up through the youth ranks and displayed all the great qualities of loyalty and commitment that Greg himself displayed and promoted. The Greg Turley Bursary Awards administered by the Fermanagh Trust offer financial support to young people in Fermanagh to participate in activities that Greg was passionate about such as sport, music, drama and community service. Greg Turley was an inspirational figure and a visionary. He saw the potential for our club to reach the top tier of Irish League football and provide an opportunity for the best young talent in Fermanagh and the surrounding region to play at the highest level. Within 4 years of his death we were Second Division champions and less than a decade after that we were promoted to the Premiership. Sadly he never lived to see the day, but in this week where we mark the 15th anniversary of Greg Turleys untimely passing, it is wholly appropriate that the next match at Gregs beloved Ferney Park is Ballinamallard United v Linfield.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 20:33:26 +0000
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