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Ankara (Turkey): Football clubs

Last modified: 2018-05-17 by ivan sache
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Gençlerbirliği

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Flag of Gençlerbirliği - Image by Ivan Sache, 8 March 2016

Gençlerbirligi football club, nicknamed Ankara Rüzgâri (The Wind of Ankara), is based in Ankara. The club was founded in 1923 the same year the Republic of Turkey was established. Gençlerbirligi actually translates to "Union of Youth", a name one of their founder’s coined due to the initial members of the team all being young students who had rallied together to form their own team after failing to make their school Ankara Erkek Lisesi (Sultani Mektebi)'s team. Gençlerbirligi joined the Turkish National League in 1959 and went through a relatively unstable period until the late 1980s. In the 1988-89 season they returned to top flight football after 13 years in the lower divisions and have remained their ever since.
The club's most successful period was during the last decade; the club finished 3rd in the Turkish Super League 2002-03 season, their highest league position. Also they won the Turkish Cup in 2001, and were runners up in 2003, 2004 and 2008. Gençlerbirligi also reached the forth round of the UEFA Cup in 2004.

The official flag of Gençlerbirliği (photo) is horizontally divided red-black, the colours of the club, with the club's emblem in the middle.
The students were struggling to find a sponsor who would support the team until Ramiz Eren’s good friend Asim bey’s father who was a member of Parliament for the Muş Province agreed to back the team. His first request was that the players find themselves a football kit to wear, there was only one cloth shop selling kits at the time and the only colours they had were red and black.
[Turkish Football - Team Profile]

Ivan Sache, 8 March 2016


Ankaragücü

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Flag of Ankaragücü - Image by Ivan Sache, 29 November 2016

Ankaragücü (Makina Kimya Endüstrisi / MKE Ankaragücü) was established in 1910 in Ankara, as a merger between Altinörs Idmanyurdu and Turan Sanatkarangücü. In a fortunate turn of events for the team, during the 1980 coup d'état it was decided that the league needed a team from the capital city. Ankaragücü was chosen to represent the capital and automatically promoted from the second division into top-flight football. The very same season they won the Turkish Cup and finished runners-up the following year. Ankaragücü reached 6th position in 2000-01 and 4th in 2001-02. The club subsequently went into decline, were hit by a financial crisis and fought year in year out relegation battles.
Ahmet Gökçek took over as chairman in 2009. Gökçek arrived making big promises claiming the team would become champion within a few years. Gökçek who had ties to another Ankara team, Ankaraspor, following relegation from the Turkish Super League he merged the club with Ankaragücü. The clubs grand plans never materialized, Ankaragücü fell into a deeper financial crisis and were subsequently relegated last season.
[Turkish Football - Team Profile]

The official flag of Ankaragücü (photo, photo, photo) is yellow with the club's emblem.

Ivan Sache, 29 November 2016


Osmanlıspor

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Flag of Osmanlıspor - Image by Ivan Sache, 17 December 2017

Osmanlıspor was established on 21 March 1978 as Ankara Belediyespor, to be successively renamed Ankara Büyükşehir Belediyespor (1994), Ankaraspor (1998), and Ankara Spor A.Ş(2005). Suppressed in 2009, the club was re-established in 2011, to be renamed Osmanlıspor in 2014.
Osmanlıspor has been playing in the top league since 2015. The club reached R32 of the Europa League in 2016, being defeated by Olympiacos (0-3; 0-0).

The flag of Osmanlıspor (photo) is yellow with the club's emblem.
The flag shown on the photo features the old club's emblem, modified in December 2015. The new logo (shown in the background of the photo) differs by the four outer ornaments of the emblem; moreover, year "2014" was moved inside the emblem, allowing the club's name to be written all over the purple ring.
[Haber Ankara, 13 December 2016]

Ivan Sache, 17 December 2017


Ankara Demirspor

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Flag of Ankara Demirspor - Image by Ivan Sache, 3 December 2016

Ankara Demirspor (Ankara Demir Spor Kulübü) was established in 1932 by employees of the Turkish State Railways (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları, TCCD). Another 38 sports clubs named Demirspor were established by TCCD.
The club played in the top league from 1959 to 1971.

The flag of Ankara Demirspor (photo, photo) is white with the club's emblem. The wings are taken from the emblem of the Turkish Railways.

Ivan Sache, 3 December 2016


Turanspor

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Flag of Turanspor - Image by Ivan Sache, 10 December 2016

Turanspor (Turan Spor Kulübü) was established in Ankara in 1947, as Şekerspor. The club then experienced several name changes, as Şeker Hilal (1958), Şekerspor (1963), Etimesgut Şekerspor (2005), Beypazarı Şekerspor (2010), Akyurt Şekerspor (2011); Çamlıdere Şekerspor (2012), Şekerspor (2013), TUTAP Şekerspor (2014), and, eventually, Turanspor (2015).
During its Gilded Age, the club played in the top league for the 1959-1963, 1964-1966, 1967-1969, 1972-1973 and 1997-1998 seasons. Relegated in 2015 to the top amateur league, Turanspor finished 13th - and last - of Group 7, and was relegated to the Ankara regional amateur league.

The flag of Turanspor (photo) is white with the club's emblem. The stand-alone emblem has a red crescnt pointing upwards placed beneath the horseman, increasing the Turanist symbolic of the design.

Ivan Sache, 10 December 2016