| Founded | 1937 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1950 |
| Country | Turkey |
| Number of clubs | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | None |
| Domestic cup | Prime Minister's Cup |
| Last champions | Fenerbahçe (6th title) (1950) |
| Most championships | Fenerbahçe (6 titles) |
| Most appearances |  Cihat Arman (122) |
| Top scorer | Hakkı Yeten (95 goals) |
TheNational Division orNational League (Turkish:Millî Küme) was a top-levelfootball competition organised by theTurkish Football Federation, including the most successful teams fromIstanbul,Ankara, andİzmir inTurkey.[1] It was the first national league in Turkish football history.[2] The league was played from1937 to1950.
The top four clubs from Istanbul and the top two clubs from the Ankara and İzmir regional leagues made up the league roster, since the leagues of these three major cities were the strongest in those decades. The matches in Ankara were played at19 Mayıs Stadium, the matches in İzmir atAlsancak Stadium, and the matches in Istanbul atTaksim Stadium. The league was the most important and popular football competition in its era.[3]
Fenerbahçe are the most successful club, having won six titles.[4][5]
Before the introduction of the National Division, the formerTurkish Football Championship was held as a national championship in Turkey. Its tournament system was based on aknockout tournament, contested between the winners of each of the country's top regional leagues. In the late 1920s, the demand for a national football league was growing in the general Turkish public, which showed in the country's newspapers and magazines, where the European counterparts were given as examples. In 1937 that demand was fulfilled, as theMillî Küme was founded and began in March that year. Eligible for the league competition where the top placed teams of theIstanbul,Ankara, andİzmir regional leagues, which were the strongest leagues in those decades. An exception was made in1941, when1940 Turkish Football Championship winnersEskişehir Demirspor (the only club from outside the three major cities) and a third club from Ankara were included.[6]
In 1940 theTurkish Football Federation decided to resume the Turkish Football Championship. As a result, both national championships were held at the same time from 1940 to 1950. The main differences between both tournaments were the competition systems and the qualification criteria. The National Division became the most popular and most important football competition in Turkey, overshadowing the Turkish Football Championship, since it was played in a league format with away matches.[4] In 1944 a specialsuper cup, thePrime Minister's Cup, was introduced by theTFF. It was competed by the winners of both championships. The Prime Minister's Cup was one of the earliest football super cups in the world.[7] The cup was held in that format until 1950, when the National Division concluded.
There were eight clubs in the National Division. The four highest-placed teams in theIstanbul Football League and the top two teams from theAnkara League andİzmir League at the end of the season qualified for the National Division. The competition was played within a year, it started just after the conclusion of the aforementioned regional leagues.[2] The competition format was based on a doubleround-robin system, that means each club played the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents', for 14 games. Teams receivedthree points for a win, two points for a draw, and one point for a loss. No points were awarded for a forfeit/regulation loss. Teams wereranked by total points, thengoal average (the number of goals scored divided by the number of goals conceded).[2] There was no system ofpromotion and relegation, since the National Division was the only national league and there was no lower division.
| Name | Year | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millî Küme | 1937 | Fenerbahçe(1) | Galatasaray |
| Millî Küme | 1938 | Güneş(1) | Beşiktaş |
| Millî Küme | 1939 | Galatasaray(1) | Ankara Demirspor |
| Millî Küme | 1940 | Fenerbahçe(2) | Galatasaray |
| Millî Küme | 1941 | Beşiktaş(1) | Galatasaray |
| Millî Küme | 1942 | Not held as a result of the weather conditions and the delayed conclusion of the Istanbul League. | |
| Maarif Mükâfâtı | 1943 | Fenerbahçe(3) | Galatasaray |
| Maarif Mükâfâtı | 1944 | Beşiktaş(2) | Fenerbahçe |
| Millî Eğitim Kupası | 1945 | Fenerbahçe(4) | Beşiktaş |
| Millî Eğitim Kupası | 1946 | Fenerbahçe(5) | Beşiktaş |
| Millî Eğitim Kupası | 1947 | Beşiktaş(3) | Fenerbahçe |
| Millî Eğitim Kupası | 1948 | Not held due to the1948 Summer Olympics in London. | |
| Millî Eğitim Kupası | 1949 | Not held due to theMediterranean Cup. | |
| Millî Eğitim Kupası | 1950 | Fenerbahçe(6) | Galatasaray |
Source:[4]
| Club | Titles | Runners-up | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fenerbahçe | 6 | 2 | 1937,1940,1943,1945,1946,1950 |
| Beşiktaş | 3 | 3 | 1941,1944,1947 |
| Galatasaray | 1 | 5 | 1939 |
| Güneş | 1 | – | 1938 |
| Ankara Demirspor | – | 1 | – |
Top scorers[edit]
| Most appearances[edit]
|
...ilk deplasmanlı lig kapsamındaki Milli Küme maçları da yine bu dönemde tertip edilmiştir.
| National teams |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic leagues |
| ||||
| Domestic cups | |||||
| Defunct leagues | |||||
| Defunct cups | |||||
| Lists |
| ||||