Establishment of Galatasaray Sports Club

The seed for the foundation of the Galatasaray Sports Club was planted inside the Galatasaray-I Sultanisi High School by its own pupils on November 1, 1905. In addition to Ali Sami, who was the driving force behind the clubs foundation, Asim Tevfik, Emin Bulent, Bekir Sitki, Resat Sirvani, Celal Ibrahim, Tahsin Nihat, Abidin Daver and Refik Cevdet were involved in the decision to organize such a club.

The Club was first known as the Galatasaray Terbiye-i Bedeniye Club.

According to Ali Sami, their aim was "To play as a team like the English, to have a name associated with distinct colors and to beat all other non-Turkish teams".

At first there were numerous suggestions for the clubs name including Gloria (Glory) and Audace (Courage). However, the founders decided to name the club Galatasaray.

Cem Atabeyoglu, who has done extensive research on this topic, claims that the name Galatasaray originated from the teams first game against the Romanians when the team won by the score of 2 to 0. It is widely believed that the fans who watched the game referred to the team and its members as the Gentleman of Galata Saray (The Gentleman of the Palace of Galata). Mr. Atabeyoglu states that the founders liked the name and adopted it as their own.

It is important to note that Galatasaray High School, where the red and yellow team emerged, continues to serve an important role in Turkish education to this day. The institution has long been associated with excellence in education and one of highest standards of civic pride in Turkiye.

In the Clubs 50th Anniversary Yearbook, Ali Sami Yen the founder of Galatasaray, is quoted as saying:

"On November 1, 1905, I was in the fifth grade. While attending Mr. Mehmet Atabey's literature class, a couple of my friends and I decided that we should form a school soccer team. The small number of rookies who signed up for the team soon showed that their hearts were full of passion for the game. Backed with their competitive spirit, Tevfik Sonumut, Resat Sirvani, Cevdet Kalpakcioglu, Abidin Daver, and Kamil made fierce competitors.

Many Bulgarian and Serbian students who were skillful and physically strong also joined the team.

As the President of the club, I appointed Asim as Treasurer and Cevdet as Vice President. The reason why I named Asim Treasurer was because he used to collect one kurus from each friend every week for the upcoming game. It made sense to have him continue to collect funds. The reason I became President was because I was the one responsible for maintaining the soccer ball. On the way to school, I used to pass by the street where pig products were sold and I used to buy lard to lubricate and shine the soccer ball so the leather would not crack. If I had to repair the ball, I used to cut a piece of leather from my newly purchased shoes to patch it. My friends who saw how dedicated I was decided to honor me with the highest degree of rank. The recognition was also due to my handling other tasks. Cevdet became Vice President because he used to launder the team uniforms.

Our goal was crystal clear now:
To play as a team like the English, to have a name associated with distinct colors and to beat all other non-Turkish teams."