| Founded | 1924 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1951 |
| Country | Turkey |
| Number of clubs | various |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | None |
| Domestic cup | Prime Minister's Cup |
| Last champions | Beşiktaş (2nd title) |
| Most championships | Fenerbahçe (3 titles) Harp Okulu (3 titles) |
TheTurkish Football Championship (Turkish:Türkiye Futbol Şampiyonası) was a top-levelfootball competition inTurkey. It was the first nationwide championship in Turkish football history. The championship was organised by theTurkish Football Federation (then calledFutbol Hey'et-i Müttehidesi).[1] The tournament system was based on a knockout competition, contested between the winners of each of the country's regional leagues.
After 1951 and the professionalization of Turkish football, the competition continued under the nameTurkish Amateur Football Championship (Turkish:Türkiye Amatör Futbol Şampiyonası) with a completely different status. It was no longer the top-flight championship in Turkey, leaving only amateur teams as participants.
Fenerbahçe andHarp Okulu are the most successful clubs with three titles.[2][3][4]
The first competition was held in1924.[5] Qualified for the tournament were the champions of the various Turkish regional leagues. The only exceptions wereHarbiye and Bahriye, the clubs of theTurkish Military Academy andNaval Academy respectively. Both clubs were included by theTurkish Football Federation (TFF) as military clubs, and not as champions of a civilian regional league. Then the competition was not held for the following two years due to insufficient funds.
In1927 the Turkish government funded the championship and the expenses of the clubs, so that they could afford the trip to the capitalAnkara, where all matches took place in the first two editions.[6] The third edition was started in1932 and the series continued until the end of the season in1935.
The competition was not held for the following four years. In this period theTurkish National Division, the first national football league in Turkey, was introduced by the TFF. From 1940 to 1950, both national championships were held at the same time. The difference between both tournaments was the competition system and the qualification criteria. In 1944 a specialsuper cup, thePrime Minister's Cup, was launched by the TFF, which was competed by the winners of both championships. It 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 was concluded.
The championship was resumed again in1940 and was played every year (except for 1943 and 1948) until1951. In1942 a new format was introduced. From this year on the champions were decided in the so-calledFinal Group, which consisted of the champions of the three major regional leagues (Istanbul,Ankara, andİzmir Leagues), and the winners of a qualification play-off, contested by the winners of the regional qualification groups. The 1951 edition was the last one as the top-level championship, as Turkish football became professional in September 1951. From then on the competition continued under the nameTurkish Amateur Football Championship until 1996, consisting only of amateur teams.
| Year | Winners | Runners-up | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Harbiye(1) | Bahriye | ||
| 1925–26 | Not held due to insufficient funds. | |||
| 1927 | Muhafızgücü(1)[6] | Altınordu | ||
| 1928–31 | Not held due to the1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and insufficient funds. | |||
| 1932 | İstanbulspor(1) | Altınordu | ||
| 1933 | Fenerbahçe(1) | İzmirspor | ||
| 1934 | Beşiktaş(1) | Altay | ||
| 1935 | Fenerbahçe(2) | Altınordu | ||
| 1936–39 | Not held due to the introduction of theNational League. | |||
| 1940 | Eskişehir Demirspor(1) | Fenerbahçe | ||
| 1941 | Gençlerbirliği(1) | Beşiktaş | ||
| 1942 | Harp Okulu(2) | Göztepe | ||
| 1943 | Not held | |||
| 1944 | Fenerbahçe(3) | Harp Okulu | ||
| 1945 | Harp Okulu(3) | İzmit Harp Filosu | ||
| 1946 | Gençlerbirliği(2) | Beşiktaş | ||
| 1947 | Ankara Demirspor(1) | Fenerbahçe | ||
| 1948 | Not held due to the1948 Summer Olympics in London. | |||
| 1949 | Ankaragücü(1) | Galatasaray | ||
| 1950 | Göztepe(1) | Gençlerbirliği | ||
| 1951 | Beşiktaş(2) | Altay | ||
Source:[2]
| Club | Titles | Runners-up | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fenerbahçe | 3 | 2 | 1933,1935,1944 |
| Harp Okulu | 3 | 1 | 1924,1942,1945 |
| Beşiktaş | 2 | 2 | 1934,1951 |
| Gençlerbirliği | 2 | 1 | 1941,1946 |
| Göztepe | 1 | 1 | 1950 |
| Muhafızgücü | 1 | – | 1927 |
| İstanbulspor | 1 | – | 1932 |
| Eskişehir Demirspor | 1 | – | 1940 |
| Ankara Demirspor | 1 | – | 1947 |
| Ankaragücü | 1 | – | 1949 |
| Altınordu | – | 3 | – |
| Altay | – | 2 | – |
| Bahriye | – | 1 | – |
| İzmirspor | – | 1 | – |
| İzmit Harp Filosu | – | 1 | – |
| Galatasaray | – | 1 | – |
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