Fantastic team, fantastic fans…

Waiting for us in an exciting match. Göztepe SK with Beşiktaş Mogaz

HENTBOLHABER.NET – Izmir, one of Turkey’s largest cities located on the Aegean coast, is proud of many things; its history, its unique culture, its heroes throughout history, its food, and many other things that give this city a special character. These days however, people of Izmir are talking about one thing only: successes of the local sports club Göztepe SK.

Founded on June 14, 1925, Göztepe is one of the most established clubs of Turkey. It is a club with tradition. There are numerous trophies in the club’s cabinet, and the football team of Göztepe is crowned as the team that had earned earliest achievements at the European level in Turkey’s sporting history. With fans like those of Göztepe, loyal, flamboyant and fervent, success is a must for the teams on the field.

And now Göztepe is represented at Turkey’s Handball Super League
The handball branch of the club was founded in 2004 and for several years it competed through the support, not only emotional but also financial, of its fans. At the beginning of the last season, the chairman of the club, Mr. Mehmet Sepil, channeled substantial investment to the handball branch, which enabled the team to finish 2014-2015 in Turkey’s first Division without any single match lost, and earned its way to the Super League, where the crème-de-la-crème of Turkish handball is competing.

Haber

Photograph: goztepe.org.tr

Putting the town on fire!
June 14 is a special date for the fans of Göztepe. Every year on this special day, they celebrate the anniversary of the founding of their club. They gather at the coast, light up torches, 25 thousand of them, and sing their club’s anthems. On this date, Izmir is put on fire; this is the fire of love for a club.

This year June 14 was a particularly special occasion, because it marked not only the 90th anniversary of the club, but also the success of both the football and handball teams which managed to promote to upper divisions. 75 thousand fans gathered at the coast of Göztepe, the Izmir neighborhood that gave its name to the club, to celebrate this enormous success. And this year, they want more, they want the titles, for the second year in a row.

Let’s watch together how the fans of Göztepe have celebrated their club’s anniversary…

Record number of spectators for handball is expected
Turkey has witnessed the highest number of handball spectators in a match last year when Beşiktaş Mogaz played against the Danish side KIF Kolding in an EHF Champions’ League game. Six thousand fans were in the hall cheering for Beşiktaş.

Göztepe’s fans are no less numerous and fervent than those of Beşiktaş. This is why the Super League game to be played between Göztepe and Beşiktaş Mogaz in Izmir is expected with great excitement in Turkey. The game will be played in Izmir’s gargantuan Halkapınar Sports Hall, and no less than 10 thousand fee-paying spectators are to watch this grand event. Göztepe’s management is already working on the arrangements. Turkey’s handball fans are eagerly waiting fort he game and tickets will be on sale as soon as the fixtures are drawn.

Haber

Photograph: hentbolhaber.net

And Göztepe is very assertive this year. It has already signed a number of Turkish star handball players, such as Tuğberk Çatkın, Uğur Erceylan, Onur Ersin, Gökhan Örnek and Yiğit Eröz for the coming season. In 2015-2016 handball season in Turkey, Göztepe will be the biggest challenger of Beşiktaş Mogaz, in terms of both fans and the race to the top of the league.

Göztepe and Beşiktaş Mogaz fans are a big opportunity for Turkish handball
It will be the first time that the fans of Göztepe and Beşiktaş will come face to face. It is actually not really important who will win the game. The match will be a showcase for Turkish handball in the sense that it will reveal how big is the interest and enthusiasm for handball in this country. On one side Beşiktaş fans in black and white, on the other hand Göztepe’s fans in red and yellow. They will be chanting not only fort he love of their club, but also, and more importantly, for the love of the game. As the match day nears, Turkey is getting ready for a new handball derby.

 

TEXT : Fırat Beyde – Dr. Altay Atlı




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