FOUNDATION
A group of 22 young individuals gathered on certain days of the week and did bodily exercises in the Serencebey neighborhood of Beşiktaş in the fall of 1902 in the garden of the mansion of Osman Paşa, who was then the Medine Guard. The sports branches that these youths, who included the sons of Osman Pasha, Mehmet Şamil and Hüseyin Bereket and the youths of the neighborhood, Ahmet Fetgeri, Mehmet Ali Fetgeri, Nazımnazif, Cemil Feti and Şevket, were horizontal bar, parallel bar, wrestling, weight lifting and gymnastics. When the men of Abdülhamit the Second, who had secret agents go around fearing any gathering activities because of political actions, heard about this; the exercising youths were taken to the police station after a raid. The tense situation was relaxed as some of these youths were close to palace officers and as they did not play soccer, which was in disfavor in those days, and as it was realized that they only did bodily exercises. In fact, Şeyhzade Abdülhalim, who had relations with the Palace, supported these youths and started to watch the practices frequently. Famous boxer and Wrestler Kenan Bey came to the practices and started to show wrestling and boxing tricks.
Bereket Gymnastic Club was founded under a special permission in 1903. The sporting activities gained some more freedom with the declaration of Constitutional Monarchy in 1908. After the political events of March 31, 1909, Fuat Balkan and Mazhar Kazancı, who were in Edirne, came to Istanbul with the Movement Army. After the political events settled down, Fuat Balkan, who was a good fencing coach and Mazhar Kazancı, who was a good wrestler and weight lifter, found the youths involved in gymnastics in Serencebey and got them to agree to doing sports together. Fuat Balkan made the space under his home in Ihlamur the Club’s headquarters and the title of Bereket Gymnastics Club was changed to Beşiktaş Ottoman Gymnastics Club. Thus, a strong sports club; where gymnastics, wrestling, boxing, fencing and athletics were emphasized, was formed. Refik and Şerafettin Beys, friends of Fuat Bey, were too good fencers.
In the meantime, Beşiktaş Ottoman Gymnastics Club became the first registered Turkish sports club on January 13, 1910 with the encouragement of Beyoğlu Governor Muhittin Bey. The interest among the youths of the neighborhood in the sports club grew and the number of members involved in sports suddenly went up to 150. The headquarters of the club was moved from Ihlamur to the building no. 49 in Akaretler. When this building was too small after a while; the building no. 84, again in Akaretler, became headquarters. The yard behind this building was turned into a sports pitch.
BEŞİKTAŞ’S COLORS
Since individual sports were done at the beginning in the Osman Pasha Mansion, there was no need for any colors for a uniform. However, as the number of sportsmen increased with new youths who joined each passing day; Mehmet Şamil Bey, who had graduated from the French school gathered the Founders Committee. He removed the pin he used in his school days bearing the colors of his school from his lapel and showed it around. He said “We must have a pin just like this one made and we must force all members who attend sports in our Club to bear this pin”. Those attending the meeting eagerly agreed to Mehmet Şamil Bey’s proposal. At the end of the meeting, the colors of the Club to be shown on the pin were decided. The two principal colors of nature in full contrast to each other were chosen as the Club colors: Black and White…
BEŞİKTAŞ’S FIRST PIN
The date Beşiktaş’s first pin was made was written as “1906” in Latin years inspired by the pins in the French school. On top, it said “Beşiktaş” in Arabic letters, the letter “J” was placed on the rights and letter “K” was placed on the left. At the back of the pin, there is a script saying it was made in “Konstantinopolis” and there is the seal of the craftsmen who made the pin on the inside. It is interesting that the star on the crest on the pin has 6 points. This 6-pointed star was used until the 2nd Constitutional Monarchy (1908). This pin was donated by Iskender Yakak to our Honorary President Süleyman Seba.
BEŞİKTAŞ AND SOCCER
Although soccer was overshadowed by others in the first period when the Club accelerated its activities, the athletes and the gymnasts in the Club felt more interest in soccer and started to have games between themselves, starting from late 1910s. In those years, the interest of the youth was about to shift to soccer and two powerful soccer teams like Valideçeşme and Basiret were founded not too far away from Beşiktaş Club. In August 1911, Ahmet Şerafettin Bey (Şeref Bey), the president and founder of Valideçeşme Soccer Team joined Beşiktaş Club with his players. As a result of the attempts by Şeref Bey, who strived to bring together the soccer teams founded by youths from Beşiktaş under a single roof, Basiret Club joined Beşiktaş as well. Thus, the Soccer Branch started to operate officially as part of the Club.
THE LEGEND OF BLACK EAGLES
Beşiktaş, the title holder the last two seasons started the 1940-41 season with a young and renewed team. Beşiktaş, which opened up its lead as weeks went by, was the leader in the league. Five weeks remaining to the end, the opponent was Süleymaniye. Beşiktaş had started the game in Şeref Stadium refereed by Semih Turansoy on Sunday January 19, 1941 with the following players: Faruk, Yavuz, İbrahim, Rıfat, Halil, Hüseyin, Şakir, Hakkı, Şükrü, Şeref, Eşref. As in all games of that season, our team played magnificently. Half way through the second half of the game, Beşiktaş attacked endlessly although it is way in front. Just then, a voice was heard from Şeref Stadı stands towards which Beşiktaş was attacking where there was an Atatürk panel. “Come on Black Eagles. Attack Black Eagles. Thousands of fans and journalists following the game that filled Şeref Stadium were frozen by the echoing sound. What was done was an extremely correct observation. It was not possible to describe the Beşiktaş players who crushed over their opponents that season as nothing other than “Black Eagles” and the soccer they played as nothing other than “Attacking like Black Eagles”. The owner of the voice coming from the stands was a fisherman called Mehmet Galin.
Beşiktaş closed the game with a 6-0 lead with 3 magnificent goals volleyed in by Şeref Görkey, who was known as volleyer Şeref and one goal each by Captain Hakkı, Şakir and Şükrü.
After this game, Beşiktaş’s symbol has become “Black Eagles”.
SUCCESS