:: Fenerbahce Sport Club

Fenerbahce Spor Kulubu, commonly known as Fenerbahce, is a sports club of Istanbul, Turkey. The team is based in the district of Istanbul named Fenerbahce. The name of the district and the sports club derives from the lighthouse located in the district ('Fener' in Turkish means 'lighthouse', 'bahce' means garden). The most popular branch of the club by far is the football team, but the club also competes in basketball, volleyball, rowing, boxing, sailing, athletics, swimming and table tennis. Fenerbahce's football branch currently plays in the Turkcell Super Lig. They are nicknamed the Yellow Canaries and play their home games at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadyumu in Kadikoy. Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, was selected to host the 2009 UEFA Cup final. Fenerbahce Sukru Saracoglu Stadium is one of the two stadiums of Turkey which fulfilled the 5 star criteria of UEFA. It is continuing to be the only Turkish stadium with five stars, which belongs to a specific club.

Fenerbahce are the most successful Turkish club of all time, amassing over100 titles in their one hundred year history. Fenerbahce also hold the record of most Turkish First Football League titles won, seventeen, and most Istanbul Football League titles, winning sixteen. Under current chairman Aziz Yıldırım, the club has won four titles in eight years. In the process, Fenerbahce has become the most financially successful Turkish club. Fenerbahce's centenary year included success in almost every other branch. Most notably are the men's and women's basketball teams.

History

Fenerbahce Spor Kulubu was first founded in 1899. In those times, there were no football teams in the Ottoman Empire as it was forbidden to play football. In Kadikoy (Fenerbahce's home) some Turkish men were playing football in "Papaz'in cayiri". Papaz'in cayiri is the same place where the Sukru Saracoglu Stadyumu was built. These men founded the first football club Black Stockings in the Ottoman Empire. Black Stockings were shutdown by the Sultan's men soon thereafter but, 8 years later, in 1907, most of the same people founded the Fenerbahce Spor Kulubu. Until a change of legislation in 1908, Fenerbahce’s activities are run under strict secrecy. After this date however, the new law requires that clubs must register in order to exist legally. From that day on, the club was to take its place amongst the top of the Turkish club’s and achieve much success.

Year of foundation: 1907
Place of foundation: At Besbiyik Street in Moda, in the bottom floor of house number 3.
Founders: Mr Nurizade Ziya Songulen, Mr Ayetullah, Mr Necip Okaner and Mr Asaf Baspinar.

The lighthouse situated on the Fenerbahce cape was a big influence on the design of the club's first emblem, which sported the yellow and white colors of daffodils around the lighthouse. It wasn't until 1910 that the emblem and colors of the club changed, when Hikmet Topuzer redesigned the badge and changed the colors to yellow and navy, still seen now. Fenerbahce's activities were kept in secrecy until a legislation change in 1908, when, under a new law, all football clubs had to register to exist legally. In 1959, the Turkish Football Federation founded a national league, which continues today under the name of the Turkiye Super Ligi.

In 1918, after World War I, Istanbul was occupied by the British and French armies, like all of Anatolia. From 1918 to 1923, Fenerbahce played 50 matches against the teams of occupying powers and won 41 of these matches, losing just 4. Fenerbahce's victories were a great boost to the morale of the Turkish soldiers and public alike, making the Fenerbahce most popular team in Turkey. 30 million fans in Turkey.

Ataturk and Fenerbahce

The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was an alleged Fenerbahce supporter. On 10 August, after a 3–3 draw against Galatasaray in the Gazi Cup, Ataturk had three Galatasaray and two Fenerbahce supporters next to him, where he is quoted as having said:
"We are three on three here, because I’m a Fenerbahce supporter too".

When the club's wooden building at Kusdili, Kadikoy burnt down on the night of June 5, 1932, the first donation for a new building came from Ataturk. Ataturk has also visited the club and has signed the book of honour where he wrote the following:

I was informed of Fenerbahce Club’s admirable activities and had made it a duty of mine to visit and congratulate the club. That visit has fallen on this day and I hereby record my tribute and congratulations.
May 3, 1918 (3.5.1334 AH) signed by Army commander Mustafa Kemal

Emblem

The Fenerbahce emblem was designed by Hikmet Topuzer who played left wing in 1910 and was made by Tevfik Haccar (Tasci) in London. The emblem consists of five colours. The white section which includes the writing Fenerbahce Spor Kulubu 1907 represents purity and open heartedness, the red section represents love and attachment to the club and symbolises the Turkish flag. The yellow middle section symbolises admiration and envy, while the navy symbolises nobility. The oak acorn leaf which rises from the navy and yellow section shows the power of Fenerbahce. The green colour of the leaf shows the success of Fenerbahce is imperative.

Hikmet Topuzer describes the story of the emblem:
"After the change of the club’s colours from yellow and white to yellow and navy, it was an issue to create an emblem with our new colours. My friends left the design of this emblem to me. Firstly, I brought together the colours of our national flag, red and white. Then drew a heart shape over the red and gave it a yellow and navy colour, adding an acorn leaf that represents resistance, power and strength. I wrote the club name and foundation date on the white section. When drawing our emblem, I tried to give this meaning: Serving the club with dependence from heart. The design was favored by my friends and our new emblem was made through the guidance of Tevfik Haccar, who was in Germany at time. After the new alphabet was approved, the design was protected, but the club name on the emblem was changed to Fenerbahce Spor Kulubu - 1907".

Legendary Goalscorers

Many of the top scorers in the top division have been Fenerbahce players. Here are those who scored more than anyone:

1970-71 Ogun Altiparmak (Forvet) 16 Goal
1972-73 Osman Arpacioglu (Forvet) 19 Goal
1973-74 Cemil Turan (Forvet) 14 Goal
1975-76 Cemil Turan (Forvet) 17 Goal
1977-78 Cemil Turan (Forvet) 17 Goal
1981-82 Selcuk Yula (Forvet) 16 Goal
1982-83 Selcuk Yula (Forvet) 19 Goal
1988-89 Aykut Kocaman (Forvet) 29 Goal
1991-92 Aykut Kocaman (Forvet) 25 Goal
1992-93 Tanju Colak (Forvet) 27 Goal
1993-94 Bulent Uygun (Forvet) 22 Goal
1994-95 Aykut Kocaman (Forvet) 27 Goal
2006-07 Alex De Souza (Attacking Midfielder) 19 Goal
2007-08 Semih Senturk (Forvet) 17 Goal

Fenerbahce Branches

Athletics
Basketball
Boxing
Football
Rowing
Sailing
Swimming
Table Tennis
Volleyball