Football is one of the most popular and known game in the world. It is played by two teams, and each team consists of 11 players. The aim of the game is to kick the ball to the other team’s goal, in this manner scoring a point. In this essay, I intend to talk about my favorite place in Istanbul, Fenerbahce Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium which is also the place where Fenerbahce Sports Club was established and first matches were held. I will also give information about football, economy and history.
In our culture, fathers tend to buy a football ball to their sons even before they can walk. Most boys in our society tend to enjoy football as their favorite game as they are in their development stage. Growing up with football is a big advantage for a child’s development. Besides supporting their physical development, football also develops personality and intelligence. By playing as a team, children learn how it is to be part of a community with the same goal in mind. They have to analyze many variables within the game and have to decide in mili-seconds before taking action. Around 1960s, football started to take part in the syllabus of physical Education lesson in primary schools.
History of Football:
Earliest records of football go all the way back to 3000 years. Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to play similar type of games, where kicking the ball is the primary action in the game. Yet, it is not clear where the game actually originated from. Every civilization tries to appropriate this heritage. However, it is very clear that football did not originate from the USA, but arrived in the late 1800s. As football was becoming a global game, the necessity of uniformity in rules arose. First rules were announced by the University of Cambridge in 1948, and they were updated by the Football Association (FA) in 1863.
Modern football however, was spread by English colonies to India, South America and Europe. Even in İstanbul, it was the English people who inspired Turkish Youth to organize Teams, and to our interest Fenerbahçe [2].
History of Fenerbahçe Sports Club:
In the last years of the Ottoman Empire, when Sultan Abdulhamid II. declared First Constitutional Era, it was forbidden to become member of any group, Charity and organizations as a precaution against Young Turk Revolution. British were able to play football and enjoy organizations in Kadıkoy, but young Turks weren’t. With courage and ambition, Fuat Hüsnü Kaynarca lead first attempt to for initiating the club. To avoid being recognized, they were organized under English name and used Latin alphabet. The team was called “Black Stocking Football Team”, and they were wearing black socks and red shirts in the games. Unfortunately the team couldn’t exist for a long time. In their first match they were spotted by sultan II. Abdulhamit’s soldiers and couldn’t even play till the end of the match[3].
As Sultan II. Abdulhamid was losing his authority; a second attempt was made in 1902. This time the youth was reunited under name of “Kadıköy Football Club”, and a second disappointment was faced with Sultan’s orders. When Abdulhamid was just about to fall, rich and highly educated businessmen came together and founded the “Fenerbahçe Sports Club” inspired by the province Kadıköy. The founders designed an emblem bearing the lighthouse in Fenerbahçe region. In 1908 after the Second Constitutional Era, it was allowed to be part of organizations and eased the process. Players started to join the team and migrated to the Fenerbahçe region. In 1910 “Kuşdili Sports Club” joined Fenerbahçe and the Club became what it is today, hosting basketball, athletics, volleyball, table tennis, boxing, mountaineering, cricket, horsing, swimming, sailing, canoeing and fencing [1, 3].
Stadium:
Stadiums are a great need for teams, at their developing stages. The club used to rent the area of Şükrü Saracoğlu from the British in the beginning. Later, the stadium was shared by the Altınovalı and Fenerbahçe teams, which both originated from the Kadıköy region. Şükrü Saracoğlu, who was the Former Minister of Finance from the CHP political party, who latter became Prime Minister, fanatically supported Fenerbahçe. Through his support for the club, he created a law which stated that “If a stadium is shared by two teams, the team with more fans has the right to own the Stadium without any discussion.” This resulted in Fenerbahce taking ownership of the stadium, and it is no doubt he knew Fenerbahce had more fans before declaring the law. The stadium was named after him in 1998 by the club’s president Aziz Yıldırım for his gesture. Thanks to him, Fenerbahce is the first football team to own its own stadium [1, 3].
Through its history, the stadium went through many renovations and additions to become what it is today. The pitch natural grass measuring 105 meters width and 68 meters length. It is 36,000 meters square with all floors, and can hold approximately 60,000 supporters. Inside, there are dressing rooms, a delegate room, room for journalists, a first aid room, a doping test room, reception, closed tribune, open tribune and the VIP tribune. Apart from the football field and the room for spectators, there are other important facilities in the Stadium. Most important among them is the Fenerbahçe Museum as big as 980 square meters. The museum has 14 main zones presently. Among them is world football history, and history of Fenerbahce is explained. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk has signed the guest book at 3 may 1928. The signature is exhibited with great honour by the club, knowing he was a Fenerbahçe supporter as well. There are waxwork statutes of founders of Fenerbahçe in the exhibition as well. Of course, the cups medals and honor certificates are displayed in showrooms. In Şükrü Saracoglu stadium, there is also a library, Fenerium shops selling club merchandise, and Migros Supermarket as sponsors [3].
In its history, Sükrü Saracoglu Stadium has hosted the Quarter Final of Champions League, the first final of UEFA Europa League, and many derbies between Fenerbahce and Besiktas, Galatasaray. Especially the matches Fenerbahce 3 : 4 Besiktas and the unforgatable victory Fenerbahce 6 : 0 Galatasaray.
Football and Global Economy:
The contribution of football organizations to the global Economy is remarkable as well. World Cup in 2006 for instance brought USD 631,000,000 income to FIFA. It was such a big profit that FIFA gave member associations USD 550,000 and USD5,000,000 to the confederation. 97 percentages of tickets were sold and attracted millions of tourists to the hosting country. From farmers to tour guides, every citizen took advantage of hosting the matches [4].
2006 world cup matches were viewed in 376 channels in 214 countries, and attracted an audience of 26,290,000,000 people world-wide. Total 73,000 hours are spent on the programmes. When we think about the time and money spent on the preparation of this work the result is unbelievable. The final match between Italy- France in 2006 was watched by 715,100,000 people worldwide. In 2002, Turkey was ranked third in the Word cup hosted in South Korea [4].
Football and Social Facts:
One of the negative aspects of the football is hooliganism. Hooliganism, by definition, is aggressive and destructive behavior, generally attributed to a young troublemaker. However, this behavior is linked to the violence in football, and the term football hooliganism is created by the media. Furthermore, there are two types of football hooliganism; the first is spontaneous, and low level disorder caused by fans. The second is deliberate and planned violence by people who belong to football clubs, and firms. The causes of hooliganism can be enumerated as alcohol, and xenophobia. Other than internal factors, there is also an external factor, which is the role of the police.
Another negative side of the football is sports betting, gambling on the matches. Gambling refers to the making a bet on an uncertain outcome, in the aim of winning money. Sports betting is illegal in the United States, and many other countries in the world. However, there are websites, and illegal organizations which arrange the betting. According to the research conducted on the subject matter, gambling can lead to harmful behavior in some people; it causes addiction, and the gamblers involve in crimes [5]. Furthermore, the addiction of gambling results in increase in government expenditure due to the fact that the addicts should be treated. In addition to those, excessive gambling activities drive people to stay away from their jobs, families, and friends. In Turkey there are no serious regulations, Even “iddaa” is a gambling brand which is advertised everywhere.
Conclusion:
Being one of the oldest games, football has three thousand years of history. As Football became a global game, uniform regulatory rules were established in result. Even though football offers excitement, joy, and fun to football fans, there are also some negative effects of football such as gambling, and hooliganism. In Turkey, football is a big part of the culture with millions of sports fans. One of the greatest football teams in Turkey, Fenerbahçe was founded in the beginning of the 20th century by the elite class of the Ottomans. The club used Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, which is one of the most spectacular, and glorious buildings in İstanbul, as home stadium. Being in the stadium I can feel my heart beating faster every minute. I adore Fenerbahçe and the stadium feels like a home to me. Today, Fenerbahce still utilizes Sukru Saracoglu as its home stadium, and the stadium keeps its perfectness, liveliness, and attractiveness.
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A lot of teams have been contributing to the sport. It's about choosing the right one for your passion.
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