I have lived in Göztepe, a neighborhood in İzmir, since I first arrived to Türkiye more than six years ago. But I didn’t start attending the local soccer club’s matches until last fall. It has expanded the love and appreciation I have for living where I do.
Growing up in the U.S. I was a fan of American football for most of my life. Both of my parents attended Michigan State University and are lifetime Spartan fans. We attended a couple of games when I was young. While I didn’t have a singular alliance for a Pro football team, I did always have a team I followed and cheered for. First it was the Green Bay Packers for many years (I was a Bret Favre fan and liked that it is the only team to be owned collectively by its fans), and then during my second marriage I was an avid fan and supporter of the New Orleans Saints, and Drew Brees, for a good many years–especially in the rebuilding years after Hurricane Katrina.
When I moved abroad in 2015, I pretty much forgot about sports with the exception of an early morning viewing of the Super Bowl in some random restaurant in Ulaanbaatar. The time difference was more than enough to deter watching US sports (it was usually around 7 am).
When it comes to soccer I can say definitively that the ONLY time I watched it was during the three years I attended high school in Fairfield, PA. And that was because my school was too small to field a football team; therefore we played soccer. One year I dated the goal keeper and attended most games. But after graduation, I forgot about soccer. Frankly it always seemed like a lot of running back and forth and very little “action” as compared with American football (and hockey which I watched some during my years of living in Colorado).
But I have changed my opinion on this point.
I am now a Göztepe football (aka soccer) fan! I attended my first match a year ago with Fatih–a DIEHARD SUPER fan–he was born and raised in this neighborhood. I think we can say he bleeds yellow and red (the team colors). I met him first in the fall of 2021, but last fall our relationship turned romantic and he has pulled me into the Göztepe Sport Club orbit! Last season I attended, in person, seven or eight matches, including the one in which we secured our move from the First League to the Super League. Away matches we watched either at home or in a local pub.
In order to attend matches in Türkiye, one has to acquire a Passolig card. Last October I went to the kiosk in front of the stadium with my passport, a passport picture, and my residency ID card. You select your team, pay a small fee (around 160 TL) and then they issue you a Passolig card. Your selected team is printed on the card as one can only attend games for their assigned team. You can attend away games as a Guest in a specific section of the stadium. Thus far I have only attended home games. This card also allows holders to purchase tickets to concerts and other events around the country.
This year we are playing a different batch of teams–the best of the best, so to speak. What I am enjoying about being a fan of my local neighborhood team is that is deepens my roots in Izmir. Göztepe is considered one of the last examples of an authentic neighborhood club. In 1969 they were the first Turkish football team to play a semi-final in European competitions (per Wikipedia).
Our stadium for home games is within walking distance of my apartment. Before matches we all congregate seaside and have drinks together. Everyone walks to the stadium where we enjoy the two hour match (I do love that it’s fairly finite). There is NO alcohol served in the stadiums and I think this is wise. After the match–no matter win or lose or draw–we all return to seaside and either drink to commiserate or celebrate.
My new challenge is learning the various Göztepe fan chants and songs. I emailed students at the school to get the lyrics for the various chants/songs and will begin with the Göztepe Rebellion March (Göztepe İsyan Marşi). I captured this on video while at the May 11 match. Enjoy watching my video to get a sense of the feeling while in the Stadium.
The club was birthed in 1925, just a couple of years after the modern republic of Turkey was created. June 14 is Göztepe’s Birthday celebration. This next summer will mark 100 years and I have no doubt it will be a huge event. You can watch a video of this past June’s celebration here. That video captures the seaside area of my neighborhood very well. I live just 10-15 minutes walk from the pedestrian bridge in the video and where the concert was held. I was seaside for this year’s event and can say it was electric!
