Who is Owen Locke? Baller League No 4 pick by Arsenal legend Jens Lehmann and FA Disability Cup champion goalkeeper
OWEN LOCKE is expected to be one of the stars of the Baller League as the top pick for N5 FC.
The team – managed by Arsenal legends Jens Lehmann, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg – selected Locke with the fourth pick of the draft earlier this month.
It was no surprise when Lehmann went for a goalkeeper first, Locke helped West Bromwich Albion win the FA Disability Cup in June 2024.
Owen is a man for the big occasion and made crucial saves in a 3-2 win over former team RNC in the final.
Featuring in the European Blind Football league, he has played against many future and current Paralympic stars.
Locke participated for RNC Hereford which earned him a spot in the England blind football team.
RNC Hereford were crowned champions in the summer of 2024 beating the likes of Borussia Dortmund and the previous champions, Cecifoot Charleroi, to the trophy on their own turf.
Locke’s role in this victory is emphasised by a staggering by him and team-mate Dylan Malpas conceding NO GOALS across the whole tournament.
Progressing to the England blind football team in the autumn of 2023, the young shot-stopper has his goals set for the 2026 Paralympic squad.
Also starring in Futsal tournaments for Swansea’s Au Vodka team, featuring Lee Trundle, Owens experience for the huge affairs is deep and Locke looks to be an asset for Baller League side N5 FC.
When is Baller League and how can I watch it?
- Baller League begins on Monday, March 24 for match night one.
- Each night is made up of six 30-minute matches.
- The tournament can be watched on Sky Sports Mix – coverage starts at 5pm, with the first match kicking off at 5.35pm.
- The action can also be live streamed on Twitch and YouTube.
- Alternatively, SunSport will live blog all the action
- Matches then run for 11 consecutive Monday nights until May.
What are the teams in Ballers League UK?
26ers – J’ardell Stirling, Bilal Sayoud, Sak Hassan, Kojo Apenteng, Marcel Lewis, Jordon Ibe, Matt Chizzum, Emmanuel Rowe, Justin Dass, Spike Stegel, Vladislav Platinov, Jack Crook.
Deportrio – Bakary Sako, Adam Dawson, Francis Gerald Mapolo, Zach Fagan, Marvin Sordell, Charlie Kuehn, Tommy Scott, Raphael Gas, Alex Dyer, Ruben Singale, Tristan Goodridge, Leo Serri.
FC Rules the World – Michael Ndiweni, Josh Harrop, Tareiq Holmes-Dennis, Kevin Gonzalez, Oliver Bosworth, Karim Kamhouri, Erghis Pepy, Onuchi Oki, Yusuf Shentu, Alamiji Oluma, Sandro Kamara, Festus Chalet.
M7 FC – Jesse Waller-Lassen, Femi Akinwande, Stefan Ilic, Jean Belehouan, Toby Bull, Sam Fitzgerald, Arjun Young, Ramez Gonzalo, Arin Zaha, Lewis Garcia, Henry Wise, Zion Nditi.
MVPs United – Lorenzo Spinelli, Ashton Peltier, Jake Chambers Shaw, Ross Derham, Josh Misoki, James Canton, Alfie Matthew, Declan McCarthy, Jay Beckford, Joe Edwards, Dwayne Suel, Esteban Salgado.
N5 FC – Owen Locke, Adrian Mariappa, Brian Ly, Charlie Wakefield, Dayo Adekayo, Chris Arba, Imran Kahani, Michael Class, James Alabi, Troy Molunda, Freddie Berrati, Callum Charlton.
Santan FC – Michael Hill, Richard Kesey, Dominic Voss, Erick Kenco, Ranell McKenzie Lowes, Jamell Abou-Bakare, Rico Okinari, David Upu, Abdullah Gervardi, Jack Wilson, David Solidemi, Luka Valentine.
SDS FC – Bruno Andrade, Bayley Brown, Ody Alfa, Cole Da Silva, David Marques Castanho, Calvin Dickson, Big John, Camillo Astreppo, Finley Chadwick, Michael Felibe, Hussein Mahdi, Tyler Edmundson.
Trebol FC – Montel McKenzie, Vani Da Silva, Ciaran Clark, Isaac Modi, Ethan Oke, Reggie, Emi, Ryan Gorwell, Jordan Brown, Shani Omed, Aaron Steven, Nathan Bowen.
VZN FC – Henri Lansbury, Kurtice Herbert, Jerome Sinclair, Remy Mitchell, Montel McKenzie, Florian Kastrati, Michael Olive-Wigan, Barrell Mensah, Ethan McClear, Diego Dombaboni, Jami Kheresi, Luka Barusic.
Wembley Rangers – Domingos Pires, Check Fayum, Ben Long, Stuart Cook, Oliver Cannon, Juan Pablo, Ruben Junior, Luke Gambin, Kaylen Kofi, Braden Shaw, Joseph Diomande, Nabid Eshari.
Yanited – Kadell Daniel, Michael Hector, Mohammed Mahyoub, Remy Clerima, Percy Kiangebeni, Medy Elito, Max Pitman, Harry Cain, Henry O’Shea, Daniel Thompson, Daniel Woods, Pharrel Mensah.