TURKEY FF

Football in Turkey stems back to the late 19th century, when the English brought the game with them while living in Salonica (then part of the Ottoman Empire). Turkey's first football league was established as the Istanbul Football League in 1904. Regional football leagues were then founded in many other cities such as Ankara, Ismir, Adana, Eskisehir, Edirne and Trabzon. Before the introduction of the professional nationwide league, known as Super Lig today, there were two top-level national championships: the former Turkish Football Championship and the National Division. Fenerbahce dominated Turkish football in those decades, having won three Turkish Championship titles and six National Division titles, both of them records. They were replaced by the Süper Lig in 1959.

 The Turkish Football Federation is the governing body of Association Football in Turkey. It was formed on 23 April 1923, and joined FIFA the same year and UEFA in 1962. It organizes the Turkish national team, leagues and cups.The Turkish football league system is divided into eight tiers, ranging from the top-tier Suiper Lig to local amateur divisions.

Football is the most popular sport in the country, followed by basketball, tracing its roots to the Ottoman Empire. The first matches were played in Ottoman Salonica in 1875, introduced by English residents. The National League comprises five professional leagues, one of which is dedicated to female "athletes".

Turkey had already hosted the 2005 Champions League Final and the 2009 UEFA Cup Final, as well as at youth-level, UEFA Youth competitions and finals.

Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Trabzonspor are the most successful Turkish clubs that participate in the competition, having won the most titles so far. Galatasaray have won the highest number of Süper Lig trophies (the club won more Süper Lig and Turkish Cup trophies than any other team), while Fenerbahçe have won the most national championships in total to date. 

The league ushered in clubs from all over Turkey to compete with each other. Currently, clubs finishing in the top four places in the league enter qualifying rounds of European competitions, and the winners of the Turkish Cup, if not one of the top four, are also given a spot. The three teams with the fewest points each season are relegated. Over the history of the Turkish football championships 15 different clubs have won the title. 

I highlight Trabzonspor, having seen the club's flag flying from a house in our local town, who have won 6 titles and been runners up 9 times. Fenerbahce hold most titles (28 and r-u 26).Harp Okulu SK, formerly known as Harbiye, is the sports club of the Turkish Military Academy, based in Ankara, Turkey. Originally founded in Istanbul under the name Harbiye, the club relocated to the capital Ankara in 1936. The name was changed to Harp Okulu in the following years. Being active in numerous sports, the club has won its greatest successes in football and basketball.

The football department won the championship in 1924 and thus became the first champions in Turkish football history

The top two teams are nominated for the UEFA Champions League, while the 3rd and 4th placed clubs are nominated for the UEFA Europa League.