Galatasaray S.K. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Galatasaray S.K.

Full name	Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (Galatasaray Sports Club)
Nicknames	Cimbom (Turkish pronunciation: [dʒimbom]) Aslanlar (The Lions) Gala (referred to by non-Turkish nationals)
Short name	GS
School	Galatasaray University Galatasaray High School
Founded	1 October 1905; 119 years ago (1905-10-01) as Galata-Serai Football Club by Ali Sami Yen
Based in	Istanbul, Turkey
Stadium	Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex
Colors	Yellow and red
Anthem	Galatasaray Marşı
President	Dursun Özbek
Titles	Intercontinental titles: 4 European titles: 17 Balkan titles: 3
Mascot	Lion
Official fan club	ultrAslan
Local media	GSTV
Website	Galatasaray SK

Galatasaray Spor Kulübü, often called Galatasaray or Cimbom, is a famous Turkish sports club. It is based in Istanbul, on the European side of the city. Galatasaray is known for many sports, including basketball, wheelchair basketball, volleyball, water polo, and athletics.

The club is a key part of the Galatasaray Community. This community also includes Galatasaray University and the well-known Galatasaray High School.

Galatasaray's football team is the most successful in Turkey. They have won the most titles in the Süper Lig (24 times), Turkish Cup (18 times), and Turkish Super Cup (17 times). These are the top football competitions in Turkey.

In 2000, Galatasaray made history by winning the UEFA Cup (beating Arsenal F.C.) and the UEFA Super Cup (beating Real Madrid C.F.). This makes them the only Turkish football club to achieve such big success in Europe.

Other Galatasaray teams have also won major titles. The wheelchair basketball team won the Champions Cup five times (2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014). They also became world champions four times in the Kitakyushu Champions Cup. The Galatasaray women's basketball team won the 2013–14 EuroLeague Women and the FIBA Eurocup twice. The men's basketball team won their first EuroCup championship in 2016.

What Does Galatasaray Mean?

Galatasaray is a neighborhood in Istanbul. It is located on the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The name "Galata" might come from "Galatai," which means "Galatians." These were Celtic tribes who may have stayed in Galata before moving to Galatia in central Anatolia.

The word Galatasaray means "Galata Palace" because saray means "palace" in Persian. Galatasaray High School, which started in this area in 1481, led to the creation of Galatasaray S.K. and other important groups.

Fans often call the club by its full name or its nickname, Cim-Bom(-Bom). Sometimes, English speakers use the shorter name "Gala."

Club History

Galatasaray SK was founded in October 1905 by Ali Sami Yen and other students from Galatasaray High School. Ali Sami Yen became the club's first president. His father was a famous writer and philosopher from the Ottoman Empire.

The club's first match was against Cadi Keuy FRC, and Galatasaray won 2–0. At first, there were ideas for other names like Gloria (victory) or Audace (courage). But they decided on Galatasaray.

Some say the name came from a match where Galatasaray won 2–0 against a Greek club. Spectators called them "Galata Sarayı Efendileri," meaning "Gentlemen of Galata Palace." The club then adopted this name. In 1905, there were no laws for sports clubs in the Ottoman Empire, so the club could not be officially registered until 1912.

Ali Sami Yen once said, "Our goal is to play together like Englishmen, to have a color and a name, and to beat the non-Turkish teams."

The club's first colors were red and white, like the modern Turkish flag. However, this made the government nervous at the time. So, the colors were temporarily changed to yellow and dark blue. After more changes in 1908, the club chose its current colors: red and yellow. Ali Sami Yen explained, "We were imagining brightness of yellow – red fire over our team and thinking that it would carry us from one victory to another."

As football grew in Turkey, Galatasaray won ten more "Istanbul League" titles until 1952. When professional football started in 1952, Galatasaray won three of the seven "Istanbul Professional League" titles.

The "Turkcell Super League," Turkey's top national football league, began in 1959. Galatasaray has played in every season and won 24 league titles since then.

The "Turkish Cup" (now called "Ziraat Turkish Cup") started in 1962–63. This cup helps Turkish clubs qualify for European competitions. Galatasaray has won 18 Turkish Cup trophies.

Club Crest

The first Galatasaray SK crest used Arabic letters

Galatasaray's first emblem was an eagle with its wings spread, holding a football in its beak. This was designed by Şevki Ege, a student from Galatasaray High School. In 1925, the club changed to its current "Ghayn-Sin" crest, which was designed by Ayetullah Emin.

Team Colours and Kit

Galatasaray's classic home kit

When Galatasaray was founded, they wore red and white. Then, for a short time in 1907–1908, they played in yellow and black.

On December 8, 1908, for a match against a British Royal Navy team, Galatasaray decided to play in red and yellow. These have been their main colors ever since.

Ali Sami Yen, the club's founder, wrote about how they chose the colors. He said they saw two elegant wool fabrics in a shop: a dark red and a rich yellow. When the shop clerk made the fabrics fly together, they looked bright and reminded them of a European Goldfinch. He wrote, "We thought we were looking at the colours flickering in burning fire. We were picturing the yellow-red flames shining on our team and dreaming that it would take us to victories."

The red and yellow colors were also inspired by the roses that Gül Baba gave to Sultan Bayezid II.

Sports Departments

Galatasaray has many different sports teams. Here are some of the current ones:

Some departments that were active in the past include wrestling, cycling, boxing, hockey, baseball, table tennis, handball, cricket, and fencing.

Major Achievements

Galatasaray teams have won many important titles in different sports:

Club Facilities

Stadiums

Galatasaray Store at Nef Stadium

In its early years, Galatasaray played in different fields because there were no proper stadiums in Istanbul. The first stadium, Taksim Stadium, opened in 1921. Galatasaray played there until 1940.

After the Taksim Stadium was taken down, Galatasaray planned to build a new, modern stadium. But due to World War II, construction was delayed for over twenty years. During this time, they played at İnönü Stadium.

On December 20, 1964, the Ali Sami Yen Stadium opened. It was named after the club's founder, Ali Sami Yen. This stadium was located in the Mecidiyeköy area of Istanbul. It first held over 35,000 people. Later, for safety reasons, it became an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 24,990. Fans often called it "Hell" because of the intense atmosphere.

After 2002, when Atatürk Olympic Stadium was built, Galatasaray started playing its European matches there. The record for attendance at a Turkish stadium was set there, with 79,414 fans watching a Galatasaray–Olympiacos match. However, the Ali Sami Yen Stadium remained very important to Galatasaray fans.

The new Nef Stadium was built for Galatasaray. It replaced the old Ali Sami Yen Stadium. The new stadium has a capacity of 52,695 seats. The Ali Sami Yen Stadium was taken down in 2011.

After every goal scored by Galatasaray, the last part of the song "I Will Survive" by the Hermes House Band is played. Before every game, the Florida State Seminoles' war chant is played. Fans also do a "scarf show," where they wave their Galatasaray scarves.

Other Facilities

Galatasaray Islet on the Bosphorus

An exterior view of the Nevzat Özgörkey Equestrian Facilities of Galatasaray S.K.

An interior view of the Nevzat Özgörkey Equestrian Facilities of Galatasaray S.K.

Galatasaray also owns and uses several other important facilities:

• Galatasaray Islet
• Galatasaray Museum
• Florya Metin Oktay Sports Complex and Training Center
• Galatasaray Beyoğlu Hasnun Galip Club Administrative Center
• Galatasaray Küçükçekmece Rowing Center
• Galatasaray Nevzat Özgörkey Equestrian Facilities
• Galatasaray Olympic Aquatic Center
• Galatasaray Gölbaşı Ankara Facilities
• Galatasaray Taçspor Tesisleri

Club Leaders

Board of Directors

The current leaders of the club are:

Past Presidents

Here are some of the people who have been president of Galatasaray S.K.:

Other Businesses

Galatasaray Store

Galatasaray AŞ owns a chain of 81 Galatasaray Stores. These stores sell club merchandise in Turkey and other countries like Azerbaijan, Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Cyprus. The club also has other businesses, including an online betting company, an insurance company, and a travel agency.

Images for kids

• 

  Galatasaray Sports Club Logo

• 

  The first Galatasaray SK crest with the Arabic letters instead of Latin

• 

  Galatasaray Store at Nef Stadium

• 

  Galatasaray Islet on the Bosphorus

• 

  An exterior view of the Nevzat Özgörkey Equestrian Facilities of Galatasaray S.K.

• 

  An interior view of the Nevzat Özgörkey Equestrian Facilities of Galatasaray S.K.

• 

  Galatasaray Store

See also

In Spanish: Galatasaray Spor Kulübü para niños