Friendship matches

Although Turkey is one of the first countries to adapt women's rights, its practical realization in every part of the society took time. Due to differentiation in the society between men's and women's sports, Turkish women fell behind men in sports. The slogan "football is a men's sport" caused that women were not interested in football in the early days. This incorrect assessment and approach hindered that the number of participants in women's football, like women audience, women footballers, women coaches, women managers and women referees, did not reach the desired level.^[2]

The first recorded involvement of women in football took place when six women played in a mixed-gender match in İzmir on 24 May 1954. The first ever football match of only women was played between the İzmir Women's Football team and Istanbul Women's Football team at Mithatpaşa Stadium in Istanbul, today Vodafone Park, on 4 July 1954. During a sports festival on 10 July 1955, one more football match was played between women's teams. There is no indication of women's football event between 1955 and 1969. On 22 August 1969, the first international women's football game in Turkey was played between Italy Girls' and the Joint-Europe Girls' teams at Mithatpaşa Stadium. The match ended with a draw of 1–1 while the Turkish player Afitap scored the only goal of the Joint-Europe team. In 1969, Kınalıada Sports Club in Istanbul formed a girls' football team, which played miniature football in the gym. The team later continued their activities competing against boys' football teams.^[2]

In 1971, Haluk Hekimoğlu formed a women's team named "Istanbul Kız Futbol Takımı" (Istanbul Girls' Football Team) with 13 young women on his own personal efforts. This team pioneered the foundation of the country's first women's football club Dostluk Spor (Turkish for "Friendship"), which was officially registered as an association on 19 April 1973 at Moda neighborhood of Kadıköy district in Istanbul.^[3] Due to lack of any other women's football teams, Dostluk Spor played demonstration games with men's teams of retired or junior players before some jubilee matches, derbies and season's opening games between 1973 and 1978. The team contributed much to the women's football in Turkey playing in many cities of the country. Their fundraising matches after the 1976 Çaldıran–Muradiye earthquake in Van, eastern Turkey helped growing of social responsibility in the society. The team's advertisement in the newspapers to recruit women players found positive response.^[2]

Dostluk Spor's success led soon to the establishment of other women's football teams such as Filizspor in İzmir formed in 1978 by the female students of the Namık Kemal High School,^[2] and İncirlispor, Nazende Spor in Ankara the same year. A friendly match played between Filizspor and Dostluk Spor at İzmir Alsancak Stadium ended with the Dostluk Spor's victory of 14–0.^[2] Foundation of women's teams in Kocaeli and Samsun followed later.^[3] In 1979, Dostluk Spor played a friendly match with the German team SC 07 Bad Neuenahr losing 0–4. This was Dostluk Spor team's first ever international match, and also the first ever international women's football match at clubs' level played in Turkey. On 17 August 1980, Dostluk Spor met Filizspor from İzmir again at Vefa Stadium, Istanbul. An outpoint like in the first match in 1978 was not possible this time, the team from İzmir was defeated only by 2–1. With the foundation of Atılımspor and Deryaspor in 1980, the number of women's football teams in Istanbul reached three.^[2]

Establishment of leagues

With the formation of Dinarsu Women's Football Team in 1982, women's football in Turkey rose to higher levels.^[3] Finally, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) decided at its board meeting on December 22, 1993, to officially establish a league for women's football. Later on, the TFF published the format and the rules for the Turkish Women's Football League. On March 1, 1994, the schedule of the league matches was determined for a total of 16 teams in four groups to meet each other in turn. The beginning of the first women's league season was planned for March 20, 1994. However, the start was postponed to April 2–3 due to the 1994 local elections held on March 27.^[3][4]

Ten years later, there were ten teams active, and the Women's League was dissolved. According to Adnan Ersan, deputy secretary general of the TFF, the league based on a wrong system. The clubs paid barely attention to the provision of experience and training for young players. They did not look ahead for the future, and deployed players older than twenty years of age. Moreover, the women's national team played no matches from Mai 2000 on. A great many of factors, which sent women's football in Turkey into offside.^[5]

In 2006, the Turkish Women's League was re-established with seven teams, and the Turkish women participated again at international competitions. In the meantime, the government supported the development. The Turkish Ministry of National Education coined a concept in cooperation with the Football Federation that envisaged the establishment of girls' football teams in primary and secondary schools. The women's football in Turkey revived, however the national team was composed of young players of amateur-level experience only. National teams of girls' U-17 and U-15 were established in order to feed the women's national team. Young women's footballers in Germany with Turkish-background were seen as a fill-in to strengthen the national team qualitatively, and were called up.^[5]

In order to contribute to the development of women's football, the Board of Directors of the Turkish Football Federation decided on 27 October 2021 to establish the Türkcell Women's Super Football League as the top-flight of the Turkish women's football league system beginning in the 2021–22 season. The 2021–22 Türkcell Women's Football Super League consisted of 24 teams.^[6]

In the 2022–23 season, the number of leagues increased to four.^[7]

The number of women's clubs was seven with 130 licensed footballers in the 2005–06 season. As of the 2010–11 season, there were 72 clubs with 1,500 players.^[8]

Women's football leagues

From the 2022–23 season on, the women's league system was extended to four leagues.^[9]

Girls' football championships

As of the 2022–23 season, the TFF made compulsory that the Women's Super League clubs hold a juniors or youth team to play in any girls' championship.^[7]

A junior or youth team of a club, which has no team playing in any league, may be promoted up to a league when they meet the status criteria of league teams.^[7]

Eligibility criteria

Taking the extension of the women's football league system in the 2022–23 season into account, the TFF set new eligibility criteria for players and coaches.^[7]

Player eligibility criteria

More information Criterion, Super League ...

Player eligibility^[7]

Criterion	Super League	First League	Second League	Third League	U-17 Turkey Champ.	U-15 Reg. Champ.	U-13 Local Champ.
Age	min. 14	min. 14	min. 14	min. 14	15–16	13–14	11–12
Foreigner	max. 8	max. 3

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Player transfer fees

In case of the transfer of a player, a fee is paid to the former club as follows:^[7]

More information Player, Age 18–24 ...

Player transfer fees (2022–23)

Player	Age 18–24	Age 25–29	Age 30+
Non-national	₺22,500	₺15,000
National	₺60,000	₺37,500

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