Establisment of Galatasaray Sports Club
Translated by: Kemal Koksal

On October 1, 1905, in a classroom of a noble Istanbul high school, events were taking place which eventually changed Turkish sports forever.

The seed for the foundation of the Galatasaray Sports Club was planted inside the Galatasaray-I Sultanisi High School by its own pupils. In addition to Ali Sami, who was the driving force behind the clubs foundation, Asim Tevfik, Emin Bulent, Bekir Sitki, Resat Sirvani, Celal Ibrahim, Tahsin Nihat, Abidin Daver and Refik Cevdet were involved in the decision to organize such a club.

The Club was first known as the Galatasaray Terbiye-i Bedeniye Club.

According to Ali Sami, their aim was "To play as a team like the English, to have a name associated with distinct colors and to beat all other non-Turkish teams".

At first there were numerous suggestions for the clubs name including Gloria (Glory) and Audace (Courage). However, the founders decided to name the club Galatasaray.

Cem Atabeyoglu, who has done extensive research on this topic, claims that the name Galatasaray originated from the teams first game against the Romanians when the team won by the score of 2 to 0. It is widely believed that the fans who watched the game referred to the team and its members as the Gentleman of Galata Saray (The Gentleman of the Palace of Galata). Mr. Atabeyoglu states that the founders liked the name and adopted it as their own.

It is important to note that Galatasaray High School, where the red and yellow team emerged, continues to serve an important role in Turkish education to this day. The institution has long been associated with excellence in education and one of highest standards of civic pride in Turkiye.

In the Clubs 50th Anniversary Yearbook, Ali Sami Yen the founder of Galatasaray, is quoted as saying:

"On November 1, 1905, I was in the fifth grade. While attending Mr. Mehmet Atabey's literature class, a couple of my friends and I decided that we should form a school soccer team. The small number of rookies who signed up for the team soon showed that their hearts were full of passion for the game. Backed with their competitive spirit, Tevfik Sonumut, Resat Sirvani, Cevdet Kalpakcioglu, Abidin Daver, and Kamil made fierce competitors.

Many Bulgarian and Serbian students who were skillful and physically strong also joined the team.

As the President of the club, I appointed Asim as Treasurer and Cevdet as Vice President. The reason why I named Asim Treasurer was because he used to collect one kurus from each friend every week for the upcoming game. It made sense to have him continue to collect funds. The reason I became President was because I was the one responsible for maintaining the soccer ball. On the way to school, I used to pass by the street where pig products were sold and I used to buy lard to lubricate and shine the soccer ball so the leather would not crack. If I had to repair the ball, I used to cut a piece of leather from my newly purchased shoes to patch it. My friends who saw how dedicated I was decided to honor me with the highest degree of rank. The recognition was also due to my handling other tasks. Cevdet became Vice President because he used to launder the team uniforms.

Our goal was crystal clear now:
To play as a team like the English, to have a name associated with distinct colors and to beat all other non-Turkish teams."

Galatasaray Presidents

2002 Özhan Canaydin, 2001/2002 Mehmet Cansun, 1996/2001 Faruk Suren, 1990/1996 Alp Yalman, 1986/1990 Ali Tanriyar, 1977/1986 Ali Uras, 1975/1977 Selahattin Beyazit, 1973/1975 Mustafa Pekin, 1969/1973 Selahattin Beyazit, 1965/1968 Suphi Batur, 1962/1964 Ulvi Ziya Yenal, 1960/1961 Refik Selimoglu, 1957/1959 Sadik Giz, 1954/1956 Refik Selimoglu, 1953 Ulvi Ziya Yenal, 1950/1952 Yusuf Ziya Onis, 1946/1950 Suphi Batur, 1944/1946 Muslih Peykoglu, 1944 Sedat Ziya Kantoglu, 1942/1943 Osman Dardagan, 1940/1941 Tevfik Ali Cinar, 1939 Sedat Ziya Kantoglu, 1939 Adnan Ahiska, 1939 Nazmi Nuri Koksal, 1937/1939 Sedat Ziya Kantoglu, 1937 Saim Gogen, 1935/1936 Ethem Menemenoglu, 1934 Refik Cevdet Kalpakcioglu, 1933/1934 Ali Haydar Barsal, 1932 Fethi Isfendiyaroglu, 1931/1932 Tahir Kevkep, 1930/1931 Ahmet Kara, 1929/1930 Abidin Daver Daver, 1928/1929 Necmettin Sadik Sadak, 1927/1928 Adnan Ibrahim Pirioglu, 1927 Haydar Sekip, 1926 Ahmet Robenson, 1925 Ali Sami Yen, 1925 Refik Cevdet Kalpakcioglu, 1922/1924 Yusuf Ziya Onis, 1919/1922 Refik Cevdet Kalpakcioglu, 1905/1919 Ali Sami Yen.

Did you know...

Research: Kemal Koksal
With the lifting of the law prohibiting all organizational activities in 1908, Istanbul and the rest of the country witnessed the establishment of the first Turkish Sports Club, Galatasaray.

Did you also know that...

Galatasaray was the first club in Turkiye to implement their team color scheme on their pennant.
Galatasaray started the tradition of greeting their fans with "Sa, Sa, Sa."
Galatasaray was the first club to open the track and field division (1908).
The first Waterball League Championship belongs to Galatasaray (1931).
The first indoor Handball League Championship title belongs to Galatasaray (1956).
The first private car owner in Turkiye was Celal Esad Arseven of Galatasaray.
Galatasaray was the first school (lycee) to build a gymnasium on the campus grounds (1869).
The first Turk to swim across the English channel was Murad Guler, a member of the Galatasaray Club.
The first tennis court built in Turkiye was at Galatasaray (1909).
Galatasaray Club started gliding as a sport in Turkiye (1931).
Ibrahim Orhan, who was an airforce volunteer and a member of Galatasaray, was among the first to open fire from an airplane and shoot down an enemy plane in World War I (1915).
Ali Sami Yen, the founder of Galatasaray Sports Club, was also the first League President of "Turkiye Futbol Birligi (1911).
Galatasaray was the first team to form a rugby team and demonstrated the game's fundamentals to the general public in Turkiye (1919).
The first Turk to sail around the world was Sadun Boro, a member of Galatasaray Club.