On 3 May 1907, in a house in Moda, on the Asian side of Istanbul, Fenerbahçe was born. On 3 May 2027 the "Yellow Canaries" turn 120 years old. The date has a second meaning for the club, since Mustafa Kemal visited it on 3 May 1918.

A club born in secret

The founders were Ziya Songülen, Ayetullah Bey and Necip Okaner. Songülen funded the venture and became the first president.

Under Sultan Abdul Hamid II, young Turks were not allowed to form clubs, so the team operated in secret. It came into the open after 1908, when a new law required associations to register. Some trace its roots even further back, to the Black Stockings of 1899, which were shut down by the authorities.

The lighthouse garden

The name comes from the Fenerbahçe neighbourhood and the historic lighthouse on its cape. "Fener" means lighthouse and "bahçe" means garden, so it literally is the "lighthouse garden".

In 1932 a fire at Kuşdili destroyed trophies, membership records and match books. According to English Wikipedia, this loss is why 3 May was adopted as the club's birthday.

The team has played on the same spot in Kadıköy since 1908, and in 1933 it bought the ground from the state, the first Turkish club to own its stadium. Today the Şükrü Saracoğlu holds about 47,000 spectators.

From yellow-white to yellow-navy

The first colours were yellow and white, inspired by the flowers that bloomed around the lighthouse. Sources disagree on the species: most speak of daffodils, others of daisies.

The switch to yellow and navy came soon after, with dates ranging from 1908 to 1910. The best-known version says an English merchant in Tünel offered striped summer shirts because the woollen ones were too hot. That is where the striped yellow-navy shirt still worn today was born.

A badge with five colours

The badge was designed by left winger Hikmet Topuzer, in 1910 according to most sources. It has five colours: white for purity, red for love of the club and the Turkish flag, yellow for the envy of others, navy for nobility and a green oak leaf for strength.

Since then only details have changed. In 2023-24 the club added five stars above the badge, claiming 28 league titles instead of the 19 recognised by the federation. In the stands fans also call the team Sarı-Lacivertliler, "the Yellow-Navy Blues".

Lefteris, the Greek legend

Its greatest legend had Greek roots. Lefteris Antoniadis, born in 1924 on Büyükada (Prinkipos), became known as Lefter Küçükandonyadis and scored 423 goals in 615 games for Fenerbahçe. In 2009 a statue of him was erected next to the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.

In the 1966-67 edition the team won the Balkans Cup after three finals against AEK Athens, the first international trophy for a Turkish club. Fans still remember the 1-0 at Old Trafford in 1996 and the 2008 Champions League quarter-finals with Zico on the bench.

Other stars to wear the shirt include Can Bartu, Rüştü Reçber and Alex de Souza, whom supporters also honoured with a statue.

Celebrate with us

From secret meetings under the sultan to a packed Kadıköy, Fenerbahçe carries 120 years in its yellow and navy stripes.

Happy birthday, Fener! May your lighthouse shine for many more years.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Fenerbahçe's Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium – Sakhalinio, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.