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Fenerbahce

Sukru Saracoglu Stadium - Fenerbahce Stadium

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Capacity: 47,544
Club Nickname: The Yellow Canaries
Year Opened: 1908
Pitch Size: 105 x 68 metres
Address: Şukru Saracoglu Stadyumu, Bagdat Cad, Kızıltoprak, No:2, 34724 Kadıkoy/İstanbul, Turkey
Phone: +90 216 542 19 07
Pitch Type: Hybrid grass
Shirt Sponsors: Otokoc
Undersoil Heating: Yes
Home Kit: Blue and Yellow
Away Kit: White and Blue
Last Update: October 28, 2024

The Sukru Saracoglu Stadium is home to Turkish giants Fenerbahce, one of the country’s ‘big three’ sides.

With a capacity of approximately 47,544, it is substantial in size and boasts an incredibly passionate home crowd that can often be the difference between the Yellow Canaries’ winning and losing.

Opened in 1908, it is over 100 years old and has previously hosted iconic European football matches, such as the 2009 UEFA Cup final between Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen.

In its current form, the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium has an all-seated capacity of 47,544, which is similar to the size of many of the major stadiums in England and across Europe.

Each stand is of a good size and the capacity is fairly evenly split across the ground’s four sections. The North and South Stands, known as the Migros and Telsim Stands respectively, are believed to have capacities of around 10,000 each.

The East and West stands are expectedly a little larger, with the former believed to have a capacity of around 12,000 and the latter around 14,000.

However, despite always being a significant stadium in Turkey, it hasn’t always been the size it is today.

Even in 1949, it was the largest football ground in the country—albeit with a capacity that was almost half of its current size, at a mere 25,000.

Since then, several renovations have occurred at the site, which have allowed the ground to grow into the massive venue it is today.

Thanks to its bowl-like exterior design, the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium features a virtually continuous perimeter that allows the club to provide multiple turnstiles for each of the four sections.

For many fans, particularly those that have visited newer grounds in England and Europe, this will be a fairly normal experience and allows for a smooth entry on most occasions.

Upon arrival at the ground, simply use the information on your match ticket, which will include things such as your designated turnstile, to find the correct entry point.

Turkey is famous for having some of the most passionate fans in world football and England sides have often found European away nights in the country extremely difficult to navigate for that exact reason.

Therefore, it goes without saying that for any away fans attending the venue, particularly for a big game, you should expect an extremely intimidating atmosphere with plenty of noise created by the home supporters for the entire match.

While the exact capacity in the away section, which is located within the Migros (North) Stand, has not been officially specified, Manchester United were granted an away ticket allocation of 2,261 for their visit to the ground on Thursday, 24 October 2024, and most clubs can expect a similar figure upon their respective visits.

While the immediate surrounding areas of the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium are bursting with a variety of pubs and bars that serve great drink options, most, if not all, will be catering predominantly to home fans and away supporters should attempt to avoid them, particularly if you are wearing your team’s colours.

Instead, away fans, especially English supporters, tend to gather in the areas around Taksim Square, which is around an hour away from the stadium on public transport.

Some of the best pubs in that region are:

  • Celtic Irish Pub Istanbul – Asmalımescit Mah. İstiklal Cad. No: 180 Narmanlı Han, İstiklal Cd., 34430 Beyoglu/İstanbul, Turkey
  • Corner Irish Pub, Asmalı Mescit Meşrutiyet Cd. No:11/A Galatasaray, 34430 Beyoglu/İstanbul, Turkey

Depending on which type of fan you are, the price you can expect to pay for a ticket at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

For supporters who wish to experience the ground in its purest form and sit in the home sections as either a neutral or indeed a Fenerbahce fan, tickets usually start at around £15 for most matches and can reach figures of £50 for an adult ticket.

The price of away tickets can also vary depending on the category of fixture and the competition in which the game in question is taking place. For Manchester United’s away tie against Fenerbahce in the Europe League on October 24, 2024, tickets were sold at £34.

If you are a Red Devils fan looking to secure last-minute tickets before that match, check out our guide here.

Sukru Saracoglu Stadium seating layout

While our recommendation would be to make use of public transport such as planes and trains, driving to the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium is certainly possible, although the journey will take over 40 hours from England.

Your first checkpoint should be Istanbul – once you reach the city most of the journey will be complete and you will be less than 10 miles from the ground.

At this point, you will want to join the Kennedy Cad. and head towards the Avrasya Tuneli – this will take you across the water.

Once out of the tunnel, stay on the D100 before turning right onto the Istanbul Cevre Yolu/0-1. Continue on this road until you see signs for Bagdat Cad. and the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

Car parking

Once arrived, you may find car parking facilities nearby the ground fairly hard to come by due to the incredibly urban nature of the local area.

As you get further away from the ground itself this problem becomes less of an issue. We advise you to get there as early as possible as this will give you the best chance possible of securing a space close to the stadium.

When travelling to the ground using public transport, the train is likely to be your best bet from the vast majority of starting points.

When doing so, you will want to head towards Sogutlucesme Station, which is located a mere 15-minute walk away from the stadium.

It is a fairly well-connected station with good links to major cities such as the nearby Istanbul.

It has been some time since the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium received noteworthy developments with the ground’s most recent major renovations taking place in 2000.

However, in the most recent presidential elections at Fenerbahce, one of the candidates, Aziz Yildirim, put forward a plan to transform the ground into a venue that would resemble the Santiago Bernabeu.

Several major developments were proposed, including an increase in the stadium’s capacity by almost 10,000.

Yildirim, who proposed the project, was ultimately beaten in the election, but it is something which the club may revisit in the future.

The Sukru Saracoglu Stadium has an incredibly complex history and origin story that ties it to multiple clubs in Turkey.

Before the ground was built, it was merely a field used by various teams and actually hosted the first match in the Istanbul Football League.

In 1908, the field became a regular home for many of those local sides and was officially named the ‘Union Club Field’ after the team that donated the most money towards its lease.

At one point, Besiktas, Galatasaray, and Fenerbahce used the ground —something inconceivable in modern times.

Several years later, in 1933, Fenerbahce eventually officially purchased the stadium—and they haven’t looked back since.

In 1998, the ground was renamed Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in honour of the club’s revered chairman, Sukru Saracoglu. A few years later, the last major renovations were completed at the venue.

Nowadays, Ulker has secured the naming rights to the stadium in a 10-year deal worth a reported £68 million.

In a phenomenon that is quite rare, all three of the biggest clubs in Turkish football play their football in one city – Istanbul.

As a result, Fenerbahce have a deep-rooted, intense and seemingly undying rivalry with both Besiktas and Galatasaray.

While there is undoubtedly a passionate rivalry between the trio, Fenerbahce vs Galatasaray, known as the ‘Kitalararasi Derbi’ is widely considered the biggest and most fierce game in Turkey.

Located in Istanbul, the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium is the long-term home of Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

Its design is fairly unique from a layout perspective as it has characteristics of a more traditional four-stand stadium that is perfectly blended with a more contemporary bowl-like design.

This allows the club’s supporters to enjoy a comfortable matchday experience while being able to create an excellent atmosphere that can be very intimidating for travelling away fans, particularly upon their first visit to the venue.

The stadium has a deep-rooted connection to the club’s history, having been named after Sukru Saracoglu, its president between 1930 and 1950.

Opened in 1908, the ground is over 100 years old and has grown to significantly impact European football during that time, making it a must-visit for any fan who gets the opportunity to do so.

Having hosted UEFA finals in its history, the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium has adequate facilities for disabled fans – nothing revolutionary but enough to ensure such supporters have a relatively comfortable experience.

Seating areas designed exclusively for wheelchair-users have been implemented into the ground, as well as accessible toilets located near these sections.

Lifts have also been designed with accessibility in mind and the buttons have been placed lower than usual for that reason.

For any specific needs upon your visit, it is always best to contact the club ahead of time to ensure they can provide suitable assistance on the day.

Record attendance

While there have been no official figures released regarding the record attendance at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, it is believed to be around 53,000 as this is the maximum capacity the ground has ever had.

Average attendance

  • 2023/24 – 38,210
  • 2022/23 – 38,322
  • 2021/22 – 24,722 (Affected by Covid-19)

Official club website: https://www.fenerbahce.com/

Ground Layout

Ground Layout of Fenerbahce

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