Trabzonspor was founded on 2 August 1967 in Trabzon, on the Black Sea coast. On 2 August 2027 the club turns 60. It was the first team from outside Istanbul to become champions of Turkey.

Four clubs, one team

In the 1960s the city had many small teams and no strong one. The Turkish Federation shut the door of the second division on the two biggest, İdmanocağı and İdmangücü, until they joined forces.

After attempts and a first merger in 1966, Trabzonspor was born on 2 August 1967. It brought together İdmanocağı, İdmangücü, Karadenizgücü and Martıspor.

Claret and blue from a compromise

Each club wanted its own colours and the talks stalled. According to the club's history, Ulvi Yenal suggested that each side pick something other than its own. That is how claret and sky blue came about.

Another version, which has not been confirmed, says the colours came from a set of shirts sent by Aston Villa. Whatever the truth, the shirt with claret and blue stripes became a trademark. Fans simply call the team "Bordo-Mavi".

The badge is dominated by the letters "T" and "S", the initials of the name. Today the shirt is made by the Spanish brand Joma.

The Black Sea storm

The new team did not take long to make history. In 1975-76, coached by Ahmet Suat Özyazıcı, they won their first title, three points ahead of Fenerbahçe. By 1984 they had six titles.

Goalkeeper Şenol Güneş went 1,110 minutes without conceding in 1978-79, a record that made history. He later became captain and then coach, and in 2010 he led the team to the Turkish Cup and Super Cup. Today the stadium bears his name.

Necmi Perekli was the club's first league top scorer, in 1976-77.

The pain of 2011 and the redemption of 2022

In 2011 Trabzonspor finished level with Fenerbahçe on 82 points and lost the title on goal difference. Soon afterwards the match-fixing scandal involving Fenerbahçe broke, and the Trabzon club pursued the trophy all the way to FIFA and CAS.

Redemption came on 30 April 2022, with Abdullah Avcı on the bench. A 2-2 draw with Antalyaspor, with three games still to play, brought the seventh title, the first in 38 years. That team also featured the Greek midfielder Anastasios Bakasetas.

From Avni Aker to Papara Park

For decades the home ground was the tight, noisy Hüseyin Avni Aker, built in 1951. Since 2017 the team has played at the Şenol Güneş stadium, now known as Papara Park, with almost 41,000 seats.

Hami Mandıralı is the all-time top scorer with 218 goals, and Ünal Karaman, Fatih Tekke, Gökdeniz Karadeniz and Shota Arveladze were great figures too. In 2025-26 Trabzonspor finished third in the Süper Lig and lifted their tenth Turkish Cup, beating Konyaspor 2-1 in the final.

Celebrate with us

Sixty years on, the claret and blue of Trabzon remain the great power of Anatolia. From the stripes of the first title in 1976 to the shirt of redemption in 2022, every era has its own story to tell.

Happy birthday, Trabzonspor! May Papara Park be full for many years to come.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: A Trabzonspor match in the 2021-22 title season – Myrat, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.