GALATASARAY (FC)

                        GALATASARAY(FC)

         Galatasaray Football Club  ,commonly known as Galatasaray, was founded by Ali Sami Yen in 1905 in İstanbul. It is a Turkish professional football club and it is the most successful one having won 44 domestic trophies including a joint-record 18 Super League titles, a record of 14 Turkish Cups and a record 12 Turkish Super Cups. Galatasaray has also won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2000 so that it became the first Turkish team to win a European trophy. The club has a never-ending competition with other great İstanbul teams like Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe while the derby between the latter  ,known as Intercontinental Derby in English, is regarded as one of the most prestigious in world football.

                        NAME AND PRONUNCATION

         The name Galatasaray itself springs from that of Galatasaray High School. Galatasaray is translated directly as Galata Palace. There is no diminutive form of Galatasaray. Fans refer to the club either by its full name or by its nickname ‘Cim Bom Bom ‘ or the shortened version ‘Cim Bom’. It is important to keep in mind that Galatasaray is a compound word and it is pronounced as such. The most common mistake done by non-Turkish speakers is to intonate as Gala-tasaray while the correct articulation should be Galata-saray with a very brief pause between the two words.

                                                  CREST

            Galatasaray’s first emblem was the figure of a spread-winged eagle with a football in its beak. The eagle was a model emblem that Galatasaray dwelled on at the beginning. However, it didn’t attract too much interest ,so it was switched with the current one in the 1920s.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Grounds  

            When Galatasaray was formed, none of the Turkish teams had their own home ground, and all games in Istanbul Football League took place at Papazın Çayırı where Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium is situated now. In 1921the city’s first proper football stadium was constructed-Taksim Stadium- When this historic ground was demolished in 1940, Galatasaray decided to build a large and modern stadium. Nonetheless, due to hardships stemming from World War II, construction was delayed for over two decades.

Ali Sami Yen Stadium: It was named after the founder of Galatasaray and was opened in 1964.At first, it had capacity over 35.000. Due to the improvements in security and prohibition of standing spectator, the all sitter capacity reduced to 22.000 in 1993. This stadium has always had historic importance for fans although it is smaller and older. In 2011, it was pulled down after Galatasaray had moved to newly built Türk Telekom Arena.

Türk Telekom Arena: It is the new home ground of club. It was opened last year. Capacity of 52.695 seats makes it largest private stadium owned by a club in Turkey. During the games it has an unbelievable atmosphere. The echo facilitates fans to break decibel record. To be there and advocate my team in a match is one of my dreams and I hope I will make it real this year.