Ali Sami Yen facts for kids
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Portrait of Ali Sami Yen
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ali Sami Yen | ||
| Date of birth | 20 May 1886 | ||
| Place of birth | Üsküdar, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire | ||
| Date of death | 29 July 1951 (aged 65) | ||
| Place of death | Istanbul, Turkey Buried in Feriköy Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey |
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| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1905–1910 | Galatasaray SK | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1916–1917 | Galatasaray SK | ||
| 1923 | Turkey | ||
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Ali Sami Yen, born Ali Sami Frashëri (20 May 1886 – 29 July 1951), was an important sports leader from Albania and Turkey. He is best known for starting the famous Galatasaray Sports Club. In 1934, when a law about family names was made, he chose the last name Yen. This word means "win" in Turkish.
Contents
Ali Sami Yen's Life Story
Ali Sami Yen was born in Üsküdar (a part of Istanbul), Turkey. His father was Sami Frashëri, a very famous Albanian writer, thinker, and playwright.
Starting Galatasaray Football Club
Ali Sami Yen was a student at the well-known Galatasaray High School in Istanbul. In October 1905, he and some friends decided to create a football club. Their main goal was to "play together like Englishmen, to have a color and a name, and to beat the other non-Turkish teams."
Ali Sami Yen also chose the colors for Galatasaray. He said, "We were imagining the bright yellow and red colors of fire over our team. We thought these colors would help us win many games."
At that time, during the Ottoman Empire, there were no rules for officially registering clubs. So, Galatasaray could not be officially recognized at first. But after a new law in 1912, the club was legally registered.
Contributions to Turkish Sports
Ali Sami Yen was the first president of Galatasaray SK for 13 years, from 1905 to 1918. He also served as president again for a short time in 1925.
Besides starting Galatasaray, he did many other important things for sports in Turkey. He was the president of the Turkish Olympic Committee from 1926 to 1931. He also coached the Turkish national team in their very first international game in 1923. That game was against Romania.
Remembering Ali Sami Yen
Ali Sami Yen passed away in 1951. He was buried at the Feriköy Cemetery in Istanbul.
Because he founded and was the first president of Galatasaray SK, a stadium was named after him. The Ali Sami Yen Stadium was built in 1964 in the middle of Istanbul. However, in 2011, the club moved to a new stadium called Türk Telekom Stadium. The old Ali Sami Yen Stadium was then torn down to build new shops and offices.
Achievements in Football
Ali Sami Yen was also a football player. Here are some of the championships he won with Galatasaray SK:
As a Player for Galatasaray SK
- Istanbul Football League:
- 1908–1909
- 1909–1910
- 1910–1911
Personal Life
Ali Sami Yen was married to Fahriye Yen. She was born in November 1900 and passed away on 6 October 2002.
Images for kids
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Istanbul Football League champions, Galatasaray, 1909.
On foot: Adnan, Milo Bakić, Ali Sami (founder), Ahmet Robenson, Asım Tevfik, Emin Bülent, Hamit, Fuat.
See Also
- List of one-club men
- List of Galatasaray S.K. presidents
