Adanaspor

A club under the name of Adanaspor was first founded in 1932 and competed in the Adana Amateur League. Orhan Kemal pen named internationally known novelist Mehmet Raşit Öğütçü was one of the first players of this club.[2]

Club badge 1954–67

Current Adanaspor were founded on January 23, 1954 by Mehmet Şanlıtürk, Mustafa Bekbaş, Erol Erk, Ali Gedikbaş and Dr. Muzaffer Eraslan. The clubs' original colours were yellow and navy. They competed in the amateur league until 1966. Adanaspor merged with Akinspor and Torosspor in order to become a fully professional club. They were admitted into the 2. Lig (Second Division) in their first season as a professional club. After the merge, they changed their colours to orange and white.[7]

Club entrance

The club competed in the 2. Lig until they earned promotion to the 1. Lig (Süper Lig) at the conclusion of the 1970–71 season. They won their first cup, the Gençlik ve Spor Bakanlığı Kupası in 1973. Adanaspor defeated İzmir Denizgücü 2–0 in the final, with Behçet Arkun and Orhan Yalçınkaya scoring the goals. They spent thirteen straight years in the 1. Lig, from 1971–84, competing in the UEFA Cup three times and the Balkans Cup once.[7]

Adanaspor finished fourth[8] at the end of 1975–76 season, their highest finish in the top-flight at the time. They went on to best their record, finishing second in 1980–81. They were relegated for the first time in 1984, but earned promotion back in 1988 after winning the 2. Lig. However, due to financial troubles, the club could not keep up their level of performance and were relegated back to the 2. Lig at the end of the 1990–91 season.[7]

The club spent the next several years bouncing back and forth between leagues. The club spiraled out of control in the mid-2000s, declaring bankruptcy in 2005. They were relegated three times in a row, ending up in the 3. Lig (Fourth Division) in 2006. However, they earned double promotion in 2006–07 and 2007–08. They had been competing in the 1. Lig (Second Division) until 2016, narrowly missing out on promotion to the Süper Lig at the end of the 2009–10 season.[7]

Adanaspor finished 6th 1st League in 2011–12 season and qualified to Promotion Play-offs. They defeated Çaykur Rizespor with a 4–1 aggregate but were beaten by Kasımpaşa a 3–2 score (normal time score was 2–2) after extra time and missed return to top level. Finally Adanaspor guaranteed to return Süper Lig after defeating Gaziantep BB as 3–2 at away match coming from 0–2 deficit on 24 April 2016.

Adanaspor hosting the Adana Derby in 2016

Adanaspor play their home matches at Adana 5 Ocak Stadı, a multi-purpose stadium they share with Adana Demirspor. The stadium opened in 1973[9] and has a capacity of 16,095 seats, all-seated. The field measures 68 by 105 meters and is covered with grass. The stadium also has floodlights.[6]

Professional football team training ground is the Osman Yereşen Facility in the Belediye Evleri mahalle of the Çukurova district. The facility has two pitch and a residence building. The other facility, Çatalan Tesisleri, 25 km north of the city, in the Karaisalı district used mostly as a camping ground. Youth teams office are located at the 5 Ocak Stadium.[10]

• Adana League: 12 years/ 1954–66

• Turkish Football League: 55 years/ 1966-
  • Süper Lig: 22 years/ 1971–84, 1988–91, 1998–01, 2002–04, 2016–2017
  • 1. Lig: 30 years/ 1966–71, 1984–88, 1991–98, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2008–16, 2017-
  • 2. Lig: 2 years/ 2005–06, 2007–08,
  • 3. Lig: 1 year/ 2006–07

• Süper Lig
  • Runners-up (1): 1980–81[12]
  • Third Place (1): 1975–76
• 1. Lig[13]
  • Winners (3):1970–71, 1987–88, 2015–16 [14][15]
• 2. Lig
  • Runners-up (1): 2007–08
• 3. Lig
  • Winners (1): 2006–07

UEFA Cup/Europa League:

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1976–77	1R	Salzburg	2–0	0–5	2–5
1978–79	1R	Budapest Honvéd	2–2	0–6	2–8
1981–82	1R	Inter Milan	1–3	1–4	2–7

Adanaspor products sold before a match

Adanaspor are traditionally supported by the merchants and artisans of the city. Until the change in the club management in early 2000s, Adanaspor had a loyal fan base and had spectator average of 10000 to 15000 at every game. Since the club converted into a one-owner private company, although they continued to be supported at a good season, level of loyalty diminished sharply. During the seasons in which Adanaspor had poor results, average number of spectators fell down to 1500, way below the averages of the years from 1970 to 2000.

Adanaspor's main supporters group is Turbeyler. Their permanent location at the 5 Ocak Stadium is the GKA (South Stands) which they call it the 'Arjantin Köşe' (en:Argentine Corner). Before 2000s at the derby matches, the West and the large East stand were shared equally by Adana Demir and Adanaspor fans, Adana Demir fans settle at the north seats of these Stands and Adanaspor fans settle at the south section.[5] Since 2000s, the entire West and East Stands were open only to the fans of the official host of the derby match. When Adana Demirspor is hosting, Adanaspor fans are only allowed to the 1600-seat South Stand and when Adanaspor is hosting, Adana Demirspor fans are only allowed to the 1600-seat North Stand.

Adanaspor are not known to have any political tendencies, however they were once owned by communications industry mogul Cem Uzan, who had links to the nationalist Youth Party.[16]

• Official website
• Adanaspor on TFF.org