Ehtar FC is built entirely from the grassroots up by fans of the sport whose “pure love of soccer” willed it into existence. The badge is a nod to the previous city flag of Belleville, IL and the club competes in the MWPL after two years in the NPSL - President and Director of Operations, Ian Thurlow, took the time to answer all of our questions.

Tell us the origin story of Ehtar Belleville FC - when was it founded? By whom and what was its mission?
The idea for the club came from a pure love of soccer and a group of believers Bryan White, Sean White and Brian "BT" Tomas, mainly while watching weekend morning football(soccer). Founded in 2022 with just an inaugural year friendly against Belle-Vegas, a local travel team, then Ehtar began competitive league play in 2023. A few others liked the idea and wanted to help bring it to life. Ian Thurlow, Patrick Hulliung RIP, Pat White, Joe Roche, Brian Sorgea and Jon Thurlow formed a board, and did the necessary paperwork, non-profit applications and league registrations to be able to have a club at the semi-professional level. We have lost a few board members from the original group, but spots have been filled exceptionally by longtime local business owner Alletha Moyer-Reiss and also Tara Radford, who handles the teams travel arrangements, and in short time has become the executive board Secretary. We all share the same great desire that we simply want to give some of the top local amateurs, collegiate, and post-graduate players an opportunity to be seen playing at a high level and possibly move closer to the professional level of soccer in this country.

Tell us about your badge and colors – how does it connect to the community?
Ehtar's crest and colors reflect Belleville's spirit: bold, resilient, and united. The crest is an ode to the long time, however, previous, Belleville city flag. Our crest has not changed at all since our founding. We have always felt it was perfectly simple, yet bold and brilliant at the same time.

What league or leagues does your club participate in and why did you choose those to join?
Ehtar was in the NPSL for the first two years in existence. While the league was exceptional, the focus on the middle of America was greatly lacking. The priority is overwhelmingly on the east and west coast teams, and the scarcity of teams in the Midwest made travel and other logistical concerns quite costly for a team of Ehtar's stature. We will forever be grateful to Drew Crawford and Marc Hager for coaching for the first two years while Ehtar FC was in the NPSL. Both had family and work commitments that unfortunately limited their tenure to 2 years.

We joined the Midwest Premier League in 2025 and summer 2026 will be the second year in the MWPL. The switch to the Midwest Premier League was twofold; first the priority is Midwest teams as obvious by the name of the league, and secondly, travel and other expenses have diminished greatly. Therefore, we are able to take care of the players better and make Ehtar Belleville FC the most desired place to play at this level.

How does the club stay funded and how can our readers support you?
Like most clubs we do sell merchandise (hats, scarves, and replica kits) to help cover cost. Also ticket sales help make our home games a cost neutral event. Ehtar also has a beer garden at all our home games where we sell our own branded beer and other concessions. We usually have a food truck and an ice cream truck to help keep the fans satiated. We also rely heavily on local company & coorparate donations to help cover other large expenses such as travel and leaue fees. We are always looking for exciting new sponors and we have several levels of support from kit sponsors to banner ads, or game day sponsors and warm-ups to fundraising sponsorships. All the information to be a proud partner of Ehtar is located on our website.

How did you finish last year? What are the goals for your next season?
Ehtar has its first ever winning season in 2025 and did that in spectacular fashion. With a new coaching crew lead by former the St. Charles USL Coach Tim Mosby and assistant coaches Felix Kimeu and Brian O'Conner. Also, need to thank Joe Benninger for some early season help with the young and almost entirely new roster. After 2 seasons in the NPSL, Ehtar definitely had a breakout year in the Gateway South Conference of the Midwest Premier League in 2025. Ehtar lost the first game of the season to US Open Cup qualifier BOFHS - St. Louis then went undefeated for the rest of the regular season with a record of 7-1-2. Amassing 23 points in a 10-game season, Ehtar earned the title of Gateway South Champions!

An unsuccessful road trip to Creighton University followed the regular season, with an overtime loss to Linoma FC in the Gateway Conference Championship match, meant that Ehtar only lost the first and last game of the entire season. Exceptional season and Ehtar already has earned a trophy in a very short history. Ehtar is definitely excited to be a part of and grow with the Midwest Premier League, who absolutely are heading in the proper direction. The leagues priorities are centered around the clubs, communities and game day experiences and is a huge part of its rapid growth from 20 teams in the first season of 2021, to over 50 teams now all in a sizable Midwest footprint.

Ehtar's short term goals would love to repeat as Conference Champions and finish the job in the Conference Championship game. The road will be a little harder with the expansion of teams, and the Gateway Conference being divided between an East and West Divisions. Longer term goals would have to include continual growth and awareness of the club and the quality football available locally that is affordable and family friendly. We will continue to add games and vendors to enhance the game day experience to almost a carnival like atmosphere, with the ultimate goal of having non-soccer fans coming to the match days to eat, drink, play and hang out with the community.

How does Ehtar FC participate in or give back to their community?
We love to be a visible part of the community and try to participate in some of the activities such as the St. Patrick's Day Parade through downtown, or doing fund-raising events such as Ehtar Fest, golf tournament and a trivia night. A good percentage of proceeds from those events are donated to local non-profit or charities in the local are or surrounding communities. We also partner with local businesses, and youth clubs in the area to expand our outreach and get more community involvement. It is with the help of local sponsors and businesses that we are trying to weave soccer into the local fabric of local life on Belleville and surrounding Metro-East communities.

If there were one or two teams, within a 100 miles of you, to play a friendly against – who would you play and why?
Two teams in the local area that we could pick to have a "dream" friendly against would have to include St. Louis City 2 and maybe Springfield FC in the USL2. These would definitely be challenges for Ehtar, and help us grow as a club and team. We would like to thank Peoria FC for a friendly last season and believe we have another one scheduled this season. Maybe Ambush FC as well who is a new St. Louis area team in the USL2 this summer. We also have several top-quality teams in our conference, so this summer should be exciting. I know any returning players have the game against BOHFS circled on the calendar. Not only did they make a great run in the US Open Cup but took 4 of 6 possible points from us last season, so any defense of the division title for Ehtar will most likely include a must win, and 3 points off BOHFS this season. Also, it should be exciting to see what the new teams in the conference bring this year as far as talent and a game day experience!

Follow Ehtar Belleville FC and give them a follow on Instagram HERE