Trabzonspor

Trabzonspor is one of the eighteen teams that constitute the Turkcell Super Lig, the Turkish Premier Super League. This is by far the most popular sporting competition in the country, and it is managed by the Turkish Football Federation, formed in 1923. Established in 1959, the Premier Super League plays its teams against each other in two half seasons. At the end of the league season, the bottom three teams are relegated to the Secondary League Category A. The champion and the runner-up represent Turkey at the UEFA Champions League the following year. Additionally, the teams of the Premier Super League participate along with the 36 teams of the Secondary League for the Fortis Turkey Cup, which yields two slots for the UEFA Cup. Turkish teams are limited to six foreign players.

Located on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey, Trabzon is the city that houses the team, and the capital of the province of the same name. Its population as of the year 2000 was of only 214,949, and the city is famous throughout Turkey for its anchovies, which are the main meal in many restaurants, as well as major exports along with hazelnuts and tea. Trabzon still has an important community of Greek speaking Muslims, although the Pontic Greek language is known and spoken by older residents. 

Trabzonspor was created in 1967 by way of a merger of two local clubs in order to gain access to the top division. They are the only club from outside Istanbul to have won the Turkish championship, along with three other Istanbul clubs known as the “Big Three”. Consequently, Trabzonspor has now become one of the “Big Four” teams of the Turkcell Super Lig, finishing in the fourth place at the end of the 2005-2006 season. The current President of the team is Nuri Albayrak, and Ziya Dogan has been appointed as Coach once more for the 2006-2007 season, in hopes of re-sparking some of the triumphs achieved with him. Trabzonspor, also known as “The Black Sea Storm”, plays at the Huseyin Avni Aker Stadyumu, which has capacity for twenty thousand fans, and sports a blue and red uniform.