Capacity: 8,000
Club Founded: 1880
League: Bezirksliga Niederrhein 1 - 7th Tier (current level)
The modern TuRU Düsseldorf, or Turn-und Rasensport Union Düsseldorf to give them their full title, was formed by absorbing several other clubs over the years.
Borussia Düsseldorf merged with Vorwärts Düsseldorf to create Düsseldorf Fußball Klub Union, which then merged with Verein für Rasensport Düsseldorf and Friedrichstädter Turnverein 1880 in 1919 to create TuRU. The new club reached the final of the Westdeutscher Fußballverband (West German Championship), going down 4-3 to Arminia Bielefeld.
Goalscorer Joseph Lüke was a star player of the day, winning a German cap against the Netherlands while remaining with TuRU until 1926. The War years were spent playing in Gauliga Niederrhein, one of sixteen German premier divisions, having been promoted from the Bezirksliga.
Hans Mengel played for the side between 1937 and 1940 alongside other stars Helmut Albrecht and Walter Graf. Twenty-one-year-old Mengel was capped by Germany in 1938 against Hungary, but lost his life fighting on the Western Front in 1941 during the conflict.
Post-War and a New Home
The club moved from their Oberbilker Allee home to the new Stadion an der Feuerbachstraße around this period. The club dropped to the third level, Landesliga Niederrhein, after league reorganisation, which was later replaced by the newly formed Verbandsliga Niederrhein, from which they were relegated to the Landesliga.
Future West German international Fritz Ewert started his career around this time with the club before a move to 1. FC Köln. In 1959, Hans-Werner Moors made his TuRU debut, remaining at Stadion an der Feuerbachstraße for ten years before a career in the upper echelons of German and US football, later becoming head coach of several clubs.
The 80s and 90s
The side fluctuated around the same level for several years. Iceland international midfielder Atli Eðvaldsson played for TuRU in 1989, with the team playing in the fifth-tier Verbandsliga Niederrhein in the early 90s.
Future Moroccan international keeper Mohamed Amsif started his career at TuRU as a junior before moving on in 2001. After several years in the lower divisions, TuRU climbed out of the Verbandsliga and then Mittelrheinliga to the fourth-tier Oberliga Nordrhein.
The team finished in tenth place on their return, as star player Uwe Hagemes was signed by Fortuna Düsseldorf. Steffen Herzberger played a pivotal role before Frank Benatelli and Demir Hotić took the chief trainer position.
After TuRU were demoted to the Niederrheinliga. The region's football leagues were restructured as TuRU found themselves in the fifth-level Oberliga Niederrhein for the 2012-13 season, where they finished as runners-up after promotion from the Verbandsliga.
Jacub Przybylko top-scored for ‘Die Tauben’ (the Doves) at the end of the 2017-18 season. Francisco Carrasco was the chief trainer when the team was relegated to Gruppe 1 of the sixth-tier Landesliga Niederrhein in 2022-23.
The team was relegated three seasons later, dropping to the seventh tier Bezirksliga Niederrhein.
My visits
The other three sides consisted of open grass banks and hard standing at the bottom. Trees topped the banking, giving the ground an enclosed feel. An open bar area stood by the turnstiles.
I left as the youngsters played out their game, thinking how nice it was to see them allowed to play at such a facility. The Ringelsweide pathway led me to Oberbilker Allee, which allowed me to go underneath another branch of the S-Bahn.
A walk along Gustav-Poensgen Strasse took me to my budget accommodation at Hotel Schaum, fully complete with a view down to the platforms of the Friedrichstadt station, where I managed to get a brief nap before heading off to the evening 2. Bundesliga match between 1. FC Köln and 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
I thought the Stadion an der Feuerbachstraße was a super ground, and I hoped to revisit for a game at some point in the future.
I’d passed the stadium several times more after visiting for photos on various train journeys in and out of Düsseldorf and had considered heading across to a Sunday match. Unfortunately, the usual 3.30pm kick-offs meant any chance of my favourite two matches in a day was somewhat remote.
My return came about in unusual circumstances. Basically, the UK had got itself in a terrible mess throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with many policies making no sense whatsoever.
I’d enjoyed a harmless walk and game of football at Belstone on the Tuesday evening, around another fifty or so fans. When I arrived home, I found that the government and FA had put a block on spectators, even at that level, which was the seventh tier of non-league football.
My weekend off work had already been scuppered by the lockdown in East Lancashire, where I had booked trains and was to stay with my friends Kes and Julie. However, that had to be cancelled, despite their town of Rawtenstall having only one new case of the virus.
Throughout the pandemic, I had continued to work, but my mental health was being put to the test, not least through the uncertainty thrown over my proposed retirement and move to Thailand a few months later.
Social media was full of angry and confused non-league football fans and club officials, unable to comprehend the decision to play games behind closed doors when supporters and members could use the clubhouses inside the grounds but not watch the game.
A Zoom chat with friends in Wales, Australia and Thailand shook me out of a dark mood. I checked the internet and found a link to German-friendly fixtures allowing crowds of up to 300. An idea was hatched. Further investigation led me to return flights for £75 while plenty of accommodation was available.
By Friday afternoon, I’d taken a flight from Stansted on a sweltering day to Köln Bonn Airport, wearing face coverings throughout, before a couple of trains to Düsseldorf. I had been in touch with Marius, a fellow European Football Weekends member on Facebook.
He invited me to a match in Koblenz that evening, but the timings were a bit tight. However, we arranged to meet up for the TuRU match the following day, while I eventually got access to my fine room at Belle Etage on Morsestraße.
The Friday evening was exactly what I needed. A nice pizza, a look at the England v Pakistan Test match on my iPad and then a nap before an evening in Altstadt, one of my favourite places anywhere for a few beers.
Hühnerstall pub was quiet, while The Irish Pub Bei Fatty-Fatty's was busier and showed both Champions League matches and the World Snooker Championship. The main drag showed little sign of social distancing, with people laughing and having fun.
Marius messaged me. A friend of his offered to ferry me around three matches the following day by car, which was greatly appreciated. However, I’d my heart set on going to TuRU, and that seemed to suit Marius too.
After a few more Alt beers in the consistently excellent Hausbrauerei Zum Schlüssel, I grabbed currywurst and fries while taking in the ambience and filming a clip trying to describe my confusion and frustrations.
All the bars had some form of track-and-trace register in place that required personal details, and the staff were first class. All employees wore masks, while customers had to wear them whenever near any unshielded bar areas until sitting down. It was hardly a shock that the Germans had got it right.
Sleep was not easy. My room was steaming hot, despite having a fan on all night. Having got up at 5.15am for work all week didn’t help. I walked to Lidl, which backed onto Stadion an der Feuerbachstraße and grabbed some provisions and much-needed liquids.
Marius mentioned that he hoped that the soaring temperatures wouldn’t cancel our intended game. Some other fixtures had fallen by the wayside. It was certainly hot enough, even at 8.30am. I drifted back to sleep in the room listening to BBC 6 Music in a content mood.
I was a bit early down to the ground, getting there around 12.20 for the 1pm kick-off. Admission was €4, and I was given an admittance ticket as well as another one with a number so the club could ensure they didn’t exceed their crowd limit.
My details were added to a sheet on a table for registration, while hand sanitiser was readily available. I hung around under the cover of the bar area and bought a welcome bratwurst for €2.80.
Club officials were busy putting out tape so spectators knew which areas they could use. Lots of arrows made of hazard tape were on the floor to implement a one-way system. They weren’t taking any chances but showed how easily things could be sorted in the UK.
Marius arrived fifteen minutes before kick-off as we settled with Jever beers, which were €2.40 a bottle. We’d met briefly in a group down the Alstadt before a Fortuna game against his side, Bayer Leverkusen, a couple of years previously. It was good to have a proper chat.
The available seats were designated in the shade of the stand as we took a pew. TuRU started off at a ferocious pace against their near-city neighbours and went ahead after eleven minutes through Ismail Cakici before visiting keeper Jan Pillekamp pulled off an outstanding low save from a close-range header.
It wasn’t entirely one-way traffic, as TuRU goalie Johannes Kultscher had to be on his toes to keep out a couple of speculative efforts. We were joined by Markus, a local Borussia Dortmund fan and groundhopper who looked like a thirsty lad. My judgment was proven to be bang on.
TuRU continued to pour forward before doubling their lead in the nineteenth minute through Sahin Ayas. Two minutes later, it was 3-0 when a header came back off the bar to fall at the feet of Cakici, who made no mistake. The drinks break in the fearsome heat must have come as a double relief to the players of Schwarz-Weiß, along with their trainer David Breitmar.
While the hosts continued to control the game, the away side fared better until halftime. I had a little wander in the second half, following the restrictions, taking a few photos before returning with my round of Brinkhoff beers.
I’d heard “der Englander” in conversation between my pals and some TuRU regulars. Sebi introduced himself when I went to the bar and told me he was coming to the second game of the afternoon at Gerresheim with us. The more the merrier, in my view. Especially as I wasn't aware of a second game until we met up.
TuRU continued playing with ease. Pillekamp pulled off some more good saves, and his team were rewarded in the small amount of added time allowed by referee Michael Menden, when Niclas Kuypers slotted home.
We headed across the road to the Volksgarten tram stop while Sebi went on ahead, returning with some welcome bottles of Alt beer. We were soon on our way on the 706 service towards the derby between TuS and Sportfreunde Gerresheim and more beers.
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