History of Turkish football

The History of Turkish football is characterized by the outspread of football during the late 19th, early 20th centuries. The Ottoman Empire did not allow organized football clubs and competitions to operate, which is why modern football in Turkey started in 1875 by Englishmen in Thessaloniki. Football was also known to have been played in Izmir in 1877. The first club was "FC Smyrna" from Izmir. Football was brought to Istanbul by Englishmen in 1895. Games were held in Kadıköy and Moda, with the first clubs coming from both regions of Istanbul. Competition between the two cities began in 1897, playing in 1898, 1899, and 1904. The Izmir side won each time. Due to the Ottoman Empire not allowing football, the first clubs were made up of English, Greek, Armenian, and Jewish footballers. Selim Sirri Tarcan is believed to have been the first Turkish footballer. He had learnt the game while on assignment in Izmir in 1898.

The first Turkish club was, albeit the English name, "Black Stockings FC". Their first match was interrupted by police, arresting players they were able to catch. Black Stockings were followed by "Kadıköy FC", "Moda FC", "Elpis", and "Imogene FC".

League play in Istanbul began with the Istanbul Football League ("Constantinople Football League"). Four clubs participated in the league: Kadıköy FC, Moda FC, Elpis, and Imogene FC. These clubs were made up of English, Greek, and Armenian footballers as football was still outlawed. These four clubs were followed by the foundings of Galatasaray S.K., Fenerbahçe S.K., Rumblers, Altinordu, and Telefoncular S.K. These clubs were the first clubs to feature Turkish players in competitive play. They also played on Sundays, which is how the Istanbul Sunday League came to be.

In 1912, another league came to birth, the Istanbul Friday League. Matches were played on Fridays, and the clubs included Darülfünun S.K., Istanbul S.K., Anadolu S.K., Sanayii F.K., Şehremini S.K., and Fenerbahçe S.K. (II). The Istanbul Sunday League was the top-flight tier of football at the time and did not accept promotion requests by the clubs in the Friday League. Starting in the 1915-16 season, the leagues combined under the Friday League moniker. The league lasted until 1923.

A third league in Istanbul was started in 1919 by Beşiktaş J.K. called the Istanbul Türk İdman Birliği. The Friday League did not allow promotion for clubs from this league to the Friday League.

The Turkish Gymnastics Club Union ("Türkiye İdman Cemiyetleri İttifakı") began in 1922 and combined clubs from cities all over Turkey. A temporary committee was setup by the Union to establish a Football Federation. The Federation was established on April 23, 1923 as the Turkish Football Federation ("Futbol Hey'et-i Müttehidesi"). Football leagues began to sprout up in cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Eskişehir, and Trabzon.

The Turkey national football team played its first international match against Romania on October 26, 1923. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, with Zeki Rıza Sporel scoring both goals for the Turkish side. The Turkey national football team won their first match against Finland 4-2 on July 17, 1924. Zeki Rıza Sporel scored four goals in the match, as he quickly climbed the scoring charts with six goals by his third cap.

The Turkish Football Federation started the Milli Küme games to have competitions between inter-city clubs. The league ran from 1937 to 1950 with clubs from Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. A club from Eskişehir played in the league in 1941.

Professional leagues began in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. Amateur clubs also competed in these cities. The first professional Turkish League began in 1959 as the Turkish First Football League. These inter-city leagues became amateur leagues.

The first edition of the Turkish Cup (later known as the Federation Cup, and currently the Fortis Turkey Cup) was held in 1962-63. The tournament started with an eight club knockout, including Altay S.K., Ankara Demirspor, Fatih Karagümrük, Fenerbahçe S.K., Galatasaray S.K., Gençlerbirliği S.K., Göztepe, and PTT. Adana Demirspor, Galatasaray S.K., Gençlerbirliği S.K., and Fenerbahçe S.K. all advanced to the semi-finals. Fenerbahçe S.K. and Galatasaray S.K. both advanced to the final, with Galatasaray coming out victorious 4-2 on aggregate.

References

* [http://www.angelfire.com/nj/sivritepe/5758/tl.html Turkish-Soccer.com by Erdinç Sivritepe]