Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent football clubs in Turkish history. The men’s football team has won seven Süper Lig championships, making Trabzonspor the first non-Istanbul-based club to achieve this feat in the Turkish league system. In addition to their football achievements, Trabzonspor also operates a women’s football team, a men’s basketball team, and several other sports branches, reinforcing its status as a multi-sport club.
Trabzonspor rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, dominating Turkish football with six league titles between the 1975–76 and 1983–84 seasons. This golden era marked the club as a powerhouse, with Trabzonspor becoming a symbol of regional pride and the only club to challenge the dominance of Istanbul-based teams, such as Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, and Beşiktaş. During this period, they also won nine Turkish Cups, including a streak of three consecutive league titles in 1978–79, 1979–80, and 1980–81.
After their sixth league title in 1983–84, Trabzonspor endured a 38-year championship drought, marked by near-misses and structural rebuilding. This drought ended triumphantly in the 2021–22 season, as Trabzonspor clinched their seventh league title, led by a strong squad and under the management of Abdullah Avcı. The victory sparked massive celebrations across the city and reaffirmed the club’s status as one of Turkey’s most decorated and respected teams.
The club’s colors are claret and sky blue, reflected in their iconic striped shirts, symbolizing the identity and culture of the Trabzon region. Trabzonspor has played its home matches at the Şenol Güneş Sports Complex (known as Papara Park for sponsorship reasons) since the 2016–17 season, a state-of-the-art stadium that replaced the historic Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium.TRABZONSPOR A.Ş. tff.org , accessed 23 May 2010
History
1923-1962: early years and local rivalries There were four clubs in Trabzon in Early years : İdmanocağı (1921), İdmangücü (1913), Necmiati (1923) and Trabzon Lisesi. All four clubs competed against each other in the Trabzon Amateur Regional League. in 1923, two of the clubs, İdmanocağı and İdmangücü, held a fierce rivalry that was equal to the Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray rivalry.Trabzonspor Tarihçe trabzonspor.org.tr , accessed 6 June 2010
The rivalry reached its peak from 1930 on. İdmanocağı won five titles in a row from 1929 to 1933, with İdmangücü besting the record with seven titles in a row from 1934 to 1940. The league was dominated by Lise for six years, before İdmangücü took back the title in 1947–48.Sivritepe, Erdinç Before the Turkish Leagues - Trabzon turkish-soccer.com, accessed 6 June 2010 More clubs were being founded in Trabzon at the time, including Doğan Gençlik, Akçaabat Sebatspor, Sürmene Gençlik, Zafer Gençlik, Yolspor, and Yalıspor.
The rivalry between Trabzon İdmanocağı and İdmangücü split Trabzon into two, with one side taking the red and yellows (İdmanocağı), and the other taking the green and whites (İdmangücü). The split frustrated the fans as well as the players, which led to some of Trabzon's biggest talents moving to Ankara and Istanbul to play football. These included Hasan Polat and Ali Polat (Gençlerbirliği), Selim Satıroğlu and Ahmet Karlıklı (Galatasaray), Zekeriya Bali (Fenerbahçe), and Nazmi Bilge (Beşiktaş).
1962–1967: merger and birth of Trabzonspor At the start of the 1962–63 season, then president of the Turkish Football Federation, Orhan Şeref Apak, asked cities to combine their football clubs into one representative team, and have them compete in the Milli Lig (Süper Lig). However, due to the rivalry between İdmanocağı and İdmangücü, the city of Trabzon weren't able to merge. City and club officials would meet every morning and night to iron out an agreement, but it never materialized.
Instead, only İdmanocağı, Martıspor, and Yıldızspor merged on 21 June 1966. They began wearing yellow and red kits and competed in the 1.Lig (Second Division). They finished eighth place in their first season, as well as runners-up for the Başbakanlık Kupası.Sivritepe, Erdinç 1966–1967 1. Lig turkish-soccer.com, accessed 6 June 2010 A month later, İdmangücü, Karadenizgücü, Martıspor, and Yolspor merged to form Trabzonspor. Their club colours were red and white.
İdmanocağı opposed the merger and took up a lawsuit against the newly founded Trabzonspor. Ulvi Yenal, head of Physical Education, decided to step in and announce that neither İdmanocağı nor İdmangücü would be accepted into the 1.Lig. This sent a shockwave thru both clubs. Until these two clubs decided to unify into one club, the city of Trabzon would not have a professional representative. In the end, İdmanocağı and İdmangücü decided to merge, along with Karadenizgücü and Martıspor, to become Trabzonspor on 2 August 1967.
Everything was set up, but the club still ran into another roadblock: club colours. The club came to the decision after five meetings with fans and club officials. At first, it was suggested the club should wear the predecessor colours together (yellow-red and green-white), but it was deemed not suitable. It was then suggested that a poll be held, but that was also quickly cast aside. The fans and club officials began to lose patience until Turkish Football Federation General Manager Ulvi Yenal came up with a compromise. He suggested that both clubs, İdmanocağı and İdmangücü, should choose a colour opposite of their own club colours. It was then both clubs came up with maroon and blue.
1967–1973: founding years and the journey to the top
This period is remembered as the years Trabzonspor played in the Turkish Second Football League. In 1967, Trabzonspor started competing in the Second League White Group during the 1967-68 football season. Trabzonspor completed its first year in professional leagues in 6th place among 20 teams in this league, following Boluspor.
In the following two years, Trabzonspor finished 4th in the league. In the 1970–71 season, Trabzonspor finished 8th. During the 1971–72 football season, Trabzonspor competed in the Red Group but missed promotion to the Turkish First Football League (currently called the Süper Lig) by two points.
A year later, Trabzonspor experienced the same fate; despite having the same points as the leader (Kayserispor), it finished second due to goal difference and failed to achieve promotion to the Turkish First Football League.
In the 1973–74 season, Trabzonspor won the Red Group by finishing six points ahead of its closest rival, Sakaryaspor. Although Trabzonspor lost the championship match against the winner of the other group (Zonguldakspor) in a penalty shootout, it finally earned promotion to the Turkish First Football League.
During these years, players like Necmi Perekli, Şenol Güneş, and Cemil Usta, who would later become part of the championship-winning team, started to feature in the squad.
Perekli became the league’s top scorer twice while playing for Trabzonspor. After these achievements, he transferred to 1st League teams such as Beşiktaş and Altay.
1973–1984: golden era of championships Ahmet Suat Özyazıcı took over as manager in 1973. Özyazıcı played for İdmanocağı, the precursor club to Trabzonspor. This period covers Trabzonspor’s phase after being promoted to the Turkish First Football League. Trabzonspor was promoted to the Turkish First Football League in 1974. Its first season in this league was the 1974–75 season, during which Trabzonspor finished 9th with 30 points. In addition, during the same year, Trabzonspor reached the final of the Turkish Cup but failed to win the trophy after defeating Beşiktaş 1–0 at home and losing 2–0 in Istanbul.
The 1975–76 football season was the first time Trabzonspor won the Turkish First Football League championship. During this season, Trabzonspor climbed to the top of the league after defeating Fenerbahçe 1–0 in Trabzon and maintained its lead until the end of the season. Under the leadership of Ahmet Suat Özyazıcı, the team secured the championship with 43 points, three points ahead of Fenerbahçe.
From its first championship in the 1975–76 season until the 1983–84 season, Trabzonspor won six league titles. In this period, Trabzonspor missed out on the championship in the 1977–78 and 1981–82 seasons by one point and the 1982–83 season by two points. Trabzonspor secured its sixth league title in the 1983–84 season, finishing five points ahead of Fenerbahçe.
During the 1976–77 season, Necmi Perekli became the first player from Trabzonspor to become the league’s top scorer, scoring 18 goals. During this era, Trabzonspor’s goalkeeper Şenol Güneş achieved an extraordinary feat by not conceding a goal for 1,110 minutes between 17 September 1978 and 18 February 1979. This record made him the longest unbeaten goalkeeper in Turkey’s leagues and the 15th longest in world football history.
During this period, Trabzonspor also made their mark in European football. The club famously defeated the then-English champions Liverpool 1–0 in the first leg of their second-round match-up in the 1976–77 European Cup, although they were eliminated after losing the second leg 3–0.Champions' Cup 1976-77 rsssf.org, accessed 9 June 2010
Additionally, during this period, Trabzonspor won 3 Turkish Cups, 6 Presidential Cups, 3 Prime Minister's Cups, and the Cyprus Peace Cup. Two of these championships came under the management of Özkan Sümer, while the other four were achieved under Ahmet Suat Özyazıcı. Özyazıcı currently serves as Trabzonspor’s Football Advisor, while Sümer served as Trabzonspor’s president for a time but resigned in protest after an incident in a match against Fenerbahçe.
1984–1995: transition and renewed ambitions
From 1984 to the 1994–95 season, Trabzonspor finished seasons in rankings ranging from third to seventh place. Undergoing a new squad restructuring, Trabzonspor, during the tenure of head coach Georges Leekens in the 1992–93 season, fell 10 points behind the leader in the first ten weeks of the season. The team went six weeks without a win, experiencing one of the worst periods in its history.
However, players like Ünal Karaman (who later became captain of the national team) and Tolunay Kafkas were brought into the squad during this time. They became key players in Trabzonspor’s starting lineup as the team finished second in the league during the 1994–95 and 1995–96 seasons and re-entered the championship race. During this period, Trabzonspor’s most notable achievements were the Turkish Cup titles won in 1992 and 1995, the Presidential Cup in 1995, and the Prime Minister’s Cup victories in 1985 and 1994.
1995–96 season: triumphs, tragedies, and missed glory
With the end of the 1993–94 season, Trabzonspor appointed its former captain Şenol Güneş, who had been managing İstanbulspor, as the head coach. Alongside Hami Mandıralı, who is Trabzonspor’s all-time top scorer with 218 goals, and Ogün Temizkanoğlu, players like Shota Arveladze and Archil Arveladze were added to the squad. Shota made a significant impact by scoring numerous goals in his first year.