Dear Beşiktaş Family,

As you all know, we will be marking the 112th anniversary of Beşiktaş JK on 19 March 2015. That date is definitely one of the most memorable and proudest time of the year for all of us, because on that day, 22 lion-hearted young men from the Beşiktaş District founded this great club of ours. Their values of dedication, integrity, self-sacrifice, solidarity and sportsmanship have passed down from generations to generations and become guiding principles for millions of Beşiktaş fans living all over the world today.

During these 112 glorious years, as the greatest, oldest and pioneering club of Turkey, we have won numerous championship titles in a variety of sports through fair play, hard work, perseverance and unity. Once a small town team, Beşiktaş JK has now grown into an internationally recognized and respected club. With your support, I have no doubt that whoever manages this club will continue to keep our flag flying high for many other centuries to come. I take this opportunity to celebrate your Beşiktaş Day and pay tribute to the past heroes our family.

There are two other equally important dates to take note of this month. One is the 100th anniversary of March 18 Martyrs' Day and Dardanelles Naval Victory. The victories at Dardanelles and Gallipoli formed the basis of the Turkish War of Independence and the founding of the Republic of Turkey eight years later under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who first rose to prominence as a commander at the Gallipoli. Let’s all remember with gratitude those martyrs, which included many athletes from Beşiktaş JK, who gave up their tomorrows for the sake of our todays.

The other date to pay attention to is the March 8th, Women’s Day. Inspired by Ataturk’s reforms that empowered Turkish woman and set example to the developing world, Beşiktaş JK has always maintained female teams and supported the equal rights for the women. To this end, I and my administration salute the International Women’s Day!

My best wishes to you all.

Fikret Orman
Chairman
Beşiktaş JK