THERE’S no rest for the wicked, nor for Armagh’s Stefan Campbell, who has signed for his local soccer club, Lurgan Celtic, for the upcoming Mid-Ulster Football League season.
The Clan na Gael clubman signed for the club no sooner than 24 hours after the Orchard county were eliminated from the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in the quarter-final stage by Kerry.
The Lurgan man didn’t feature in Croke Park as he is nursing a hand injury, which will delay his return to his old haunt at Lord Lurgan Park in Woodville, according to his new manager, Niall Lavery.
He also confirmed that Campbell will not neglect his club, Clan na Gael, nor his commitment to his county as we enter a new Club season.
“Stefan knows our assistant coach Colm Rooney well...all in all, I said he signed about 12 hours ago,” confirmed Lavery, speaking to The Irish News on Monday afternoon.
Having been involved with the side’s youth set-up, it’s familiar surroundings for Soupy, who has earned a reputation as a super-sub in Kieran McGeeney’s Armagh side of late.
This will be his first stint with the club since 2018, having only played football for Clan na Gael and Armagh since then, winning an All-Ireland title and gaining promotion to Division One in the National Football League.
🚨 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓 📢 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 🟢⚪ We are absolutely delighted to announce the return of none other than 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧...
Posted by Lurgan Celtic Fc on Tuesday, July 1, 2025
The ‘Wee Hoops’ finished seventh in Division One of the Mid-Ulster Football League last season on 23 points, and Lavery thinks that Soupy has a lot to offer this side, who are keen on improvement over last year.
“He brings pace, power, is good with both feet, scores goals and creates goals,” listed Lavery.
“He is a nightmare for anyone marking him.”
In a statement released on the club’s social media, the Lurgan Hoops manager, and former teammate of Soupy, said: “What a player. I played alongside Soup for long enough to see what he can do.
“A leader in any changing room. He’ll add pace, power, goals and all-round quality to the team.
“It’s a brilliant addition that drives professionalism up considerably. Can’t wait to see Stefan back involved and scoring goals.”
