Fenerbahçe S.K. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fenerbahçe S.K.

Full name	Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü
Nicknames	Sarı Kanaryalar (The Yellow Canaries) Sarı Lacivertliler (The Yellow-Navy Blues) Efsane (The Legend) Cumhuriyet (The Republic)
Short name	FB Fener
Sport	Multiple
School	Fenerbahçe University
Founded	3 May 1907; 118 years ago (1907-05-03) as Phener-Bagtche Football Club
Based in	Istanbul, Turkey
Home ground	Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium Ülker Sports Arena
Colors	Yellow and Navy blue
Anthem	Yaşa Fenerbahçe (Viva Fenerbahçe)
President	Ali Koç
Secretary	Burak Kızılhan
Titles	Intercontinental titles: 1 European titles: 15 Balkan titles: 3
Mascot	Yellow canary
Local media	Fenerbahçe TV
Website	Fenerbahçe S.K.

Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü, often called Fenerbahçe or just Fener, is a big sports club from Istanbul, Turkey. It has many different sports teams, like football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, athletics, swimming, sailing, boxing, rowing, and eSports. Over the years, these teams have won many titles in Turkey and across Europe.

Fenerbahçe is one of Turkey's oldest and most successful multi-sport clubs. They have won 18 international titles, including 14 major European titles, one World championship, and three regional Balkan titles. These wins come from five different sports: football, basketball, wheelchair basketball, volleyball, and table tennis. They are one of the few clubs in Europe to have won European titles in six different sports departments.

Fenerbahçe is one of the most popular clubs in Turkey, with millions of fans around the world. In 2008, the club was even recognized by Guinness World Records for having a huge number of medals and trophies across its nine departments, totaling 1134 cups and medals!

Club History

How Fenerbahçe Started

Fenerbahçe began as a football club in 1907 in Istanbul, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. It was started secretly by Ziya Songülen, Ayetullah Bey, and Necip Okaner. They had to be secret because the ruler at the time, Sultan Abdul Hamid II, didn't allow Turkish young people to form clubs or play football.

The club's name, Fenerbahçe, comes from a neighborhood in Istanbul. It means "lighthouse garden" in Turkish, because there's a historic lighthouse there.

Ziya Songülen was chosen as the first president. The club's first logo had yellow and white colors, like daffodils, and showed the lighthouse. The team's uniforms were also yellow and white stripes. In 1910, the logo and colors changed. Hikmet Topuzer redesigned the badge, and the colors became yellow and navy blue, which are still the club's famous colors today.

Fenerbahçe could only operate openly after a new law in 1908 allowed football clubs to register legally.

Early Football Games

Fenerbahçe joined the Istanbul Football League in 1909. The club played against teams made up of British soldiers who were in Istanbul during the Turkish War of Independence. Fenerbahçe won many of these games.

One famous event was the General Harrington Cup in 1923. This was a big football tournament in Istanbul while it was occupied by the British. Fenerbahçe played against the British occupation forces team in the final and won 2-1, taking home the cup!

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  A picture of Atatürk visiting the club

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  Fenerbahçe fans at Taksim Stadium in 1932

Club Crest and Colors

Fenerbahçe has used a similar club badge since it started, with only small changes.

The badge was designed by Hikmet Topuzer in 1910. It has five colors, each with a special meaning:

• The white part, with "Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü ★ 1907 ★" written on it, means purity and being open-hearted.
• The red part shows love for the club and represents the Turkish flag.
• The yellow part stands for how others might feel jealous of Fenerbahçe.
• The navy blue part means nobility.
• The oak leaf, growing from the navy and yellow parts, shows the strength and power of being a Fenerbahçe member. Its green color means that Fenerbahçe's success is very important.

Hikmet Topuzer explained that he wanted the emblem to show "Serving the club with dependence from heart."

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  Hikmet Topuzer

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  Tevfik Haccar Taşçı

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  The cover of an Ottoman sports magazine with Fenerbahçe's original colors (1913)

Fenerbahçe's Main Sports Teams

Fenerbahçe has many successful sports teams. Here are some of their biggest achievements:

• The men's football team is the most famous part of the club. They have won a record 28 Turkish championship titles, including 19 Turkish Super League titles. In 1968, they won the Balkans Cup, which was the first international trophy for a Turkish football team!

• The men's basketball team is one of the best in Turkey and Europe. They were the first Turkish team to win the EuroLeague in the 2016–17 season. They also made history by being the first Turkish basketball club to beat an NBA team!

• In 2023, the women's basketball team won the EuroLeague Women, becoming European champions. This made Fenerbahçe the first club ever to win European titles in both men's and women's basketball! Later that year, they also won the FIBA Europe SuperCup Women, setting a record for the biggest win difference in the SuperCup's history.

• In volleyball, the women's team became World Champions in 2010 by winning the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship without losing a single game. They also won the CEV Women's Champions League in 2011–12.

• The men's volleyball team won the CEV Challenge Cup in 2013–14. On the very same day, the women's team won another European title! This made Fenerbahçe the only club in Turkey to have European titles in both men's and women's volleyball.

• The table tennis department is the best in Turkey. The women's team won the ETTU Cup twice in a row (2011–12 and 2012–13). They also won the European Champions League in 2015 without losing, which was a "Triple Crown" for a Turkish table tennis team!

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  The first men's football team, in the 1907-08 season

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  Fans creating a special display during a EuroLeague Basketball match

European and Worldwide Honours

Here are some of the major international titles Fenerbahçe teams have won:

Sport	Competition	Result	Year
Men's football	Balkans Cup	Winners	1968
Women's boxing	European Champions Cup	Runners-up	1999
Women's basketball	EuroCup Women	Runners-up	2004–05
Men's table tennis	ETTU Cup	Runners-up	2007–08
Men's volleyball	Balkan Cup	Winners	2009
Women's volleyball	CEV Women's Champions League	Runners-up	2009–10
Women's volleyball	FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship	Winners	2010
Women's volleyball	CEV Women's Champions League	Winners	2011–12
Women's table tennis	ETTU Cup	Winners	2011–12
Women's table tennis	ETTU Cup	Winners	2012–13
Women's volleyball	Women's CEV Cup	Runners-up	2012–13
Women's basketball	EuroLeague Women	Runners-up	2012–13
Women's basketball	EuroLeague Women	Runners-up	2013–14
Men's volleyball	Balkan Cup	Winners	2013
Men's volleyball	CEV Challenge Cup	Winners	2013–14
Women's volleyball	Women's CEV Cup	Winners	2013–14
Women's table tennis	European Champions League	Runners-up	2013–14
Women's table tennis	European Champions League	Winners	2014–15
Women's athletics	European Champion Clubs Cup	Runners-up	2015
Men's basketball	Euroleague	Runners-up	2015–16
Women's basketball	EuroLeague Women	Runners-up	2016–17
Men's basketball	EuroLeague	Winners	2016–17
Men's basketball	EuroLeague	Runners-up	2017–18
Men's athletics	European Champion Clubs Cup	Runners-up	2019
Wheelchair basketball	EuroCup 3	Winners	2019
Women's basketball	EuroLeague Women	Runners-up	2021–22
Women's basketball	EuroLeague Women	Winners	2022–23
Wheelchair basketball	EuroCup 2	Winners	2023
Women's basketball	FIBA Europe SuperCup Women	Winners	2023
Women's basketball	EuroLeague Women	Winners	2023–24
Wheelchair basketball	EuroCup 1	Winners	2024
Women's basketball	FIBA Europe SuperCup Women	Winners	2024
Men's basketball	EuroLeague	Winners	2024–25

Active Sports Departments

Men's Football

The men's football team was the first part of the club, started in 1907. They have won a record 28 Turkish championship titles. This includes 19 Super League titles. They also won the Balkans Cup in 1968, which was the first international trophy for a Turkish football club.

Turkish Football Championships: 28 titles (record)

• Süper Lig (since 1959)

• Winners (19): 1959, 1960–61, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1995–96, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2010–11, 2013–14

• Turkish National Division (1937–1950)

• Winners (6) (record): 1937, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1950

• Turkish Football Championship (1924–1951)

• Winners (3) (shared-record): 1933, 1935, 1944

National Cups (26)

• Turkish Cup

• Winners (7): 1967–68, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1982–83, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2022–23

• Turkish Super Cup

• Winners (9): 1968, 1973, 1975, 1984, 1985, 1990, 2007, 2009, 2014

• Prime Minister's Cup

• Winners (8) (record): 1945, 1946, 1950, 1973, 1980, 1989, 1993, 1998

• Atatürk Cup

• Winners (1) (shared-record): 1998

• Spor Toto Cup

• Winners (1): 1967

Regional Competitions:

• Istanbul Football League

• Winners (16) (record): 1911–12, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1920–21, 1922–23, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1952–53, 1956–57, 1958–59

• Istanbul Football Cup

• Winners (1): 1944–45

• Istanbul Shield

• Winners (4) (record): 1929–30, 1933–34, 1937–38 , 1938–39

International Competitions:

• Balkans Cup

• Winners (1): 1966–67

Women's Football

The women's football team was first started in 1995 and then restarted in 2021. They play in the Turkish Women's Football Super League.

Men's Basketball

The men's basketball team was first founded in 1913 but stopped due to wars. It was restarted in 1944. Fenerbahçe is one of the most successful basketball clubs in Turkey. They won the EuroLeague as the first Turkish team. They also have 14 championship titles in Turkey. On October 5, 2012, Fenerbahçe became the first Turkish basketball club to win against an NBA team!

European Competitions:

• EuroLeague

• Winners (1): 2016-17

Domestic Competitions:

• Turkish League

• Winners (14): 1957, 1959, 1965, 1990–91, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2023–24

• Turkish Cup

• Winners (8): 1966–67, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2024

• Turkish Presidential Cup

• Winners (7): 1990, 1991, 1994, 2007, 2013, 2016, 2017

• Turkish Federation Cup

• Winners (5): 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961

• Istanbul Basketball League

• Winners (7): 1954-55, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66

Women's Basketball

In 1954, Fenerbahçe started the first women's basketball team in Turkey. They are the most successful women's team in Turkey and have done very well in Europe. In 2023, Fenerbahçe won the EuroLeague Women, becoming European champions. This made Fenerbahçe the first club ever to win European titles in both men's and women's basketball. Later that year, they also won the FIBA Europe SuperCup Women. In 2024, they won the EuroLeague again!

Domestically, Fenerbahçe has won 21 Turkish championship titles, 14 Turkish Cups, and 12 Turkish Super Cups, all of which are records. In the 2023-24 season, the team had a perfect season, winning all 35 games!

European Competitions (4)

• European Championship

• Winners (2) (Turkish record): 2022–23, 2023–24

• European Super Cup

• Winners (2) (Turkish record): 2023, 2024

National Championships (21) (record)

• Women's Basketball Super League

• Winners (18) (record): 1998–99, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24

• Turkish Basketball Championship (defunct)

• Winners (3): 1956, 1957, 1958

National Cups (26) (record)

• Turkish Cup

• Winners (14) (record): 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2023–24

• Turkish Super Cup

• Winners (12) (record): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019

Wheelchair Basketball (Mixed Gender)

This team has won the Turkish Wheelchair Basketball Super League multiple times. In Europe, they won the EuroCup 3 in 2018-19, EuroCup II in 2022-23, and EuroCup 1 in 2023-24.

National Championships (5)

• Turkish Wheelchair Basketball Super League

• Winners (6): 1998–99, 1999–00, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023-24

European Competitions (3)

• EuroCup 1, EuroCup 2, EuroCup 3

• Winners (3): 2018–2019, 2022–2023, 2023–2024

Men's Volleyball

Founded in 1927, the men's volleyball team is very successful in Turkey. They have won five Turkish Volleyball League titles. In Europe, they have won two Balkan Cups and the CEV Challenge Cup in 2013–14.

European Competitions (3)

• European Cup

• Winners (1) (shared Turkish record): 2013–14

• Balkan Cup

• Winners (2) (shared-record): 2009, 2013

National Championships (5)

• Turkish Men's Volleyball League

• Winners (5): 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2018–19

Women's Volleyball

The women's volleyball team was founded in 1928 by Sabiha Gürayman, who was also the team captain. She even played for the club's men's volleyball team, being the first female athlete to play in a men's team in Turkish sports history! The team was restarted in 1954 and became one of the best in Turkey and the world. They won the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship in 2010 without losing a game. They also won the CEV Women's Champions League in 2011–12.

Fenerbahçe's women's team also won the Women's CEV Cup in 2014. On the same day, the men's team won a European title too! This made Fenerbahçe the first club in Turkey to win European titles in both men's and women's volleyball.

International Competitions (1)

• World Championship

• Winners (1): 2010

European Competitions (2)

• European Championship

• Winners (1): 2011–12

• European Cup

• Winners (1): 2013–14

National Championships (15)

• Turkish Women's Volleyball League

• Winners (7): 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2022–23, 2023–24

• Turkish Women's Volleyball Championship (defunct)

• Winners (8): 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1968, 1969, 1972

Men's Table Tennis

The men's table tennis team, founded in 1928, is very successful in Turkey. They have won the Turkish Super League six times and the Turkish Cup 12 times.

• Turkish Super League

• Winners (6) (record): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2020-21

• Turkish Cup

• Winners (12): 1951, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1983, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015

Women's Table Tennis

The women's table tennis team is the most successful in Turkey and one of the best in Europe. They have won the Turkish Championship a record 16 times and the Turkish Cup a record 16 times. They also won the ETTU Cup twice (2011–12, 2012–13) and the European Champions League in 2014–15, being the first Turkish club to do so.

• European Championship

• Winners (1) (Turkish record): 2014–15

• European Cup

• Winners (2) (Turkish record): 2011–12, 2012–13

• Turkish Super League

• Winners (16) (record): 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23

• Turkish Cup

• Winners (16) (record): 1968, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022, 2023

Athletics (Men's & Women's)

The athletics department started in 1913 and is very successful. The men's team has won a record 20 championships in the Turkish Men's Athletics League. The women's team has won 8 championships and came second in the European Champion Clubs Cup in 2015.

Fenerbahçe athletes have won many medals for Turkey in big competitions like the Olympics and World Championships.

Boxing (Men's & Women's)

Founded in 1914, Fenerbahçe's boxing department is the most successful in Turkey. Many great Turkish boxers have come from Fenerbahçe, winning medals in Mediterranean, European, Olympic, and World championships.

Rowing (Men's & Women's)

Started in 1910, both the men's and women's rowing teams are the most successful in Turkey. The men's team has won the Turkish Men's Rowing Championship a record 35 times, and the women's team has won it a record 18 times.

Sailing (Men's & Women's)

Founded in 1910, the sailing department has teams for different types of boats like optimist and laser, as well as windsurf teams.

Swimming (Men's & Women's)

The swimming department, founded in 1913, is the most successful in Turkey. The men's team has won 23 national championships, and the women's team has won a record 33 national championships.

Fenerbahçe Esports (Mixed Gender)

Founded in 2016, the esports team has won three championships in the League of Legends Championship League.

Club Facilities

Stadia

The football team plays its home games at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul. It's often called Kadıköy or Mabet (meaning "shrine" in Turkish) by fans. The stadium opened in 1908 and can hold 50,509 people.

The Ülker Sports Arena is a large indoor arena in Istanbul with 13,800 seats. It opened in 2012. Fenerbahçe's basketball team plays their home games here.

Training Facilities

• The Can Bartu Training Facilities are in Istanbul and are used by the football team.
• The Lefter Küçükandonyadis Training Facilities are a big complex in Istanbul. They are used by Fenerbahçe's youth football teams and also by the basketball, volleyball, athletics, boxing, rowing, and sailing departments.
• The Topuk Yaylası Facilities are a training complex near a forest and a lake. All of the club's teams use this complex for their pre-season training.
• The Türk Telekom Ankara Facilities are in Ankara and host Fenerbahçe teams when they visit the area for games.
• The Samim Göreç Basketball Hall and Muhtar Sencer Volleyball Hall are located within the Lefter Küçükandonyadis Training Facilities and are used for training by the basketball and volleyball teams.
• The Vefa Küçük Swimming Pool and another Olympic-sized swimming pool are on the Fenerbahçe Isle and are used by the swimming department.
• The Fikirtepe Facilities help develop the youth football teams.

Fenerbahçe Museum

The Fenerbahçe Museum is all about the club's history. It was founded in 1908 and is located inside the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. Many of the club's trophies are on display there. There are 426 trophies on exhibition out of approximately 3,000 trophies won!

Turkey's first basketball museum, the "Fenerbahçe Basketball Museum," is also open at the Ülker Sports and Event Hall.

Media and Brands

TV

Radyo Fenerbahçe

Istanbul
Broadcast area	Turkey European Union
Frequency	97.0 Istanbul 97.0 Ankara 97.0 Bursa 97.0 Adapazarı 99.2 Tekirdağ 101.0 Balıkesir 102.4 Çanakkale
Programming
Format	Music radio
Ownership
Owner	Fenerbahçe SK
History
Former names	Fenerbahçe FM

Fenerbahçe TV (FB TV) was the first television channel started by a sports club in Turkey. It began broadcasting in 2004.

Radio

Fenerbahçe Radyo (FB Radyo) is a radio station that broadcasts across Turkey from Istanbul. It was the first sports club radio station in Turkey.

Fenerium

Fenerium is the club's own company that sells official Fenerbahçe products. It also sponsors some of the club's teams. The company started in 2000 and has many stores across Turkey, and even one in Northern Cyprus.

Supporters

Fenerbahçe has a huge number of fans. It's estimated that millions of people in Turkey support Fenerbahçe, and they also have many fans around the world.

Some of the main fan groups are Genç Fenerbahçeliler (a big fan group), 1907 ÜNİFEB (for university students), and 1907 Fenerbahçe (a non-profit organization).

Club Officials

Position	Name
President	Ali Koç
Board member	Nevres Erol Bilecik
Board member	Mehmet Burhan Karaçam
Board member	Ozan Korman Tarman
Board member	Sevil Zeynep Becan
Board member	Şaban Erdikler
Board member	Mustafa Tankut Turnaoğlu
Board member	Fethi Pekin
Board member	Turhan Şahin
Board member	Mustafa Kemal Danabaş
Board member	Acar Sertaç Komsuoğlu
Board member	Simla Türker Bayazıt
Board member	Ömer Okan
Board member	Burak Çağlan Kızılhan
Board member	Alper Pirşen

Source:

Presidential History

Fenerbahçe has had many presidents throughout its history, leading the club to its many successes. Some notable past presidents include Ziya Songülen, who was one of the founders, and Şükrü Saracoğlu, who was also a Prime Minister of Turkey. The current president is Ali Koç.

Sponsorship

Fenerbahçe SK works with many companies that help support the club. Some of these sponsors include:

Puma Ülker Avis Beko Doğuş Group Acıbadem Denizbank Tüpraş Aygaz Turkish Airlines

Audi Damat Tween Pürsu Diversey Nesine.com Yandex Hublot Getir Spor Toto Burger King

Trivia

• A type of African fish was named after the club by Turkish scientists!
• Fenerbahçe holds the record for the highest goals scored in a single football season, with 103 goals in 36 matches in 1988–89.
• The club's first anthem, the "1909 First March," was composed by an Ottoman Armenian musician, Krikor Sinanyan. It was the first anthem ever made for a Turkish football team.
• As part of the club's 100th-anniversary celebrations, mountain climbers Tunç Fındık and Mustafa Kalaycı planted the Fenerbahçe flag on the top of Mount Everest!
• Fenerbahçe's 3000th goal was scored by famous player Alex de Souza.
• Fenerbahçe's 4000th goal was scored by Sebastian Szymański.

See also

In Spanish: Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü para niños