The Foundation of Sport Clubs in Turkey and the Use of These Communities for Ethnic Issues

The sport clubs in Turkey began forming after the beginning of the 20 th century. These clubs gained official status after the announcement of the law of communities in 1909. These clubs were active in various branches of sport such as athletics, fencing, wrestling and gymnastics. However, football was the main interest of the people. These clubs were at first founded by the non-Muslims. These clubs were competing against each other in different organizations and exhibitions. This led to the foundation of different sport clubs by the Muslims who were impressed by these exhibitions. Some of the clubs that were formed in Istanbul, namely; Moda, Elpis, Imogene and Kadikoy (Union), formed a league in 1904 which they called ‘The Football Union of Istanbul’. This league was joined by Galatasaray in 1905 and Fenerbahce in 1908. In 1910, the number of clubs in the league increased and this led to some problems. As a result, the league reorganized under the name of ‘Istanbul Sport Clubs League’ and separated into two portions; the ‘Sunday League’ and the ‘Friday League’. It is seen that the sport clubs emerged under an ethnic identity, which became even clearer when the Ottoman Empire lost the Balkan Wars. It is also seen that the clubs chose their colors and emblems under an ethnic discrimination. The first football league in Turkey was formed in 1899 in Izmir. Clubs of Turkish ethnicity were formed a bit later here than Istanbul. Karsiyaka, which was formed in 1912, and Altay, which was formed in 1914, were not accepted into this league because they were ethnically Turkish.