EFDN welcomes Gençlerbirligi SK from Turkey!

EFDN welcomes Gençlerbirligi SK from Turkey!

The European Football for Development Network is pleased to announce that Turkish club Gençlerbirligi Spor Külübü has joined the network. EFDN is looking forward to cooperating with the Ankara-based club and developing together CSR-strategies in the Capital of Turkey.

Gençlerbirliği SK was founded by a group of students from the Ankara High School in 1923, the same year the Turkish Republic was formed. Having been established and located in the new capital, the club leveraged the academic structure in Ankara and attracted talented footballers coming to town for university education.

This academic background involving student-player profiles from top universities led to the future representation of Gençlerbirliği ex-players in a wide range of Turkey’s state institutions. Three Turkish Football Federation presidents had been Gençlerbirliği players in their past. In its early years, Gençlerbirliği appeared in the Ankara football scene as the only club that is not part of the state or military, adding a heavy emphasis on education.

Gençlerbirliği has always been one of Turkey’s most notable teams for the talented young footballers and thus with a high focus on player development and infrastructure. Young players, raised by Gençlerbirliği, have been playing regularly in the National Team and several other Turkish/European teams. Currently, the team plays in the 1.Lig, Turkey’s second-tier league. In its history, the club reached to final of the Turkish Cup five times, taking this important piece of silverware home twice, in 1987 and in 2001.

With a fanbase still linked to students, the club will use and involve this intellectual capital to develop its CSR philosophy and strategy, therefore having a long-lasting impact on the community in and around Ankara. Apart from that, Gençlerbirligi is also working on a Women’s Football Program, to establish a structure that trains top-level athletes in Turkish women’s football and to provide a safe football environment for girls in Ankara.

Hubert Rovers, CEO of EFDN : “It’s with great satisfaction that we welcome Gençlerbirligi SK as a new member to our network. With their historic roots in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, Gençlerbirligi will be an important addition to our Turkish network. We count on a successful partnership in which we can help each other to enroll various CSR programmes together.