The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium from Fenerbahçe is located in the beautiful neighbourhood of Kadıköy, where the streets are filled with fans on match days hours before kick-off. Football is life in Turkey and the atmosphere in this stadium is overwhelming. This a recommendation for any football lover.
The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is the home ground Turkish football club Fenerbahçe. It is not particularly spectacular from the outside, but the stadium lives and breathes football with its steep stands that bring supporters close to the pitch. Watching a game here is a unique experience given the fact that the insanity of the fans already starts hours before the first whistle.
The atmosphere is overwhelming. Everywhere you will see fans go wild. They jump, wave their flags and scarves and sing songs. But this can all change if Fenerbahçe concedes the first goal and is suddenly behind. The expectations are so large that being behind can silence the crowd. It is not so difficult to get a ticket for a smaller game, but during the big games, the stadium is mostly sold out.
The ground on which the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is built is a holy place in Turkish football. This is where professional football originates from and where all teams that played in the Istanbul Football League played their home matches until the Taksim Stadium was built. Even the bitter rivals Galatasaray and Beşiktaş played their first professional matches on this ground.
Fenerbahçe is originally the people’s club of the city and is one of the major clubs in Turkish football. Their biggest rival is the successful Galatasaray, which is originally a club from the upper class. Two clubs located on two different continents within the same city. Fenerbahçe is the pride of the Asian part of Istanbul in this ‘Intercontinental Derby’. It is the match that the entire country is eagerly anticipating and one of the fiercest rivalries in Europe.
In Kadıköy Yoğurtçu Park, which is right next to the stadium, you can find three statues of former players of the club. The first one is from former captain Alex de Souza who played for Fenerbahçe between 2004 and 2012 and scored 136 goals in 245 games. The statue, which was funded by the fans, was unveiled in 2012 whilst Alex still played for the club.
You can also find a statue of Lefter Küçükandonyadis, who is known as one of the greatest strikers of all time for Fenerbahçe and Turkey.
In 2021, another statue of Can Bartu was unveiled in the park, who not only played as a footballer for Fenerbahçe but also as a basketballer. Bartu was a legendary footballer of the Yellow Canaries and the first Turkish player who played in a European Cup final In 1962 when he played for the Italian club Fiorentina.
Whilst you are at the park also have a look at the beautiful statue of the Turkish painter Fikret Mualla.
Fenerbahçe is located in the neighbourhood of Kadıköy, where the streets are never empty and it buzzes with life. During match days you will see street vendors with scarfs, souvenirs and flags. In the main- and bystreets, lively Fenerbahçe fans will get together hours before kick-off. Take your time to explore this beautiful neighbourhood. You can also go for a lovely stroll on the boulevard along the water. Also pay a visit to Kadıköy Moda Sahil Parkı and Kalamış Atatürk Parkı, where you will find local people enjoy the weather on sunny days.
Tickets can solely be bought through Passo, the official seller of football tickets to all games in Turkey (including league, European, cup and friendly games). You need to register on Passo and buy a PASSOLIG card, with which you can buy a ticket and enter the stadium. Tickets are usually for sale a week before the match. More information can be found on the website of Passo.
The stadium can easily be reached from the European side by train. The train station Söğütlüçeşme is right next to the stadium. However, if you are coming from the European side it might be nice to take the ferry to Kadıköy. On match days this ferry can already be full of lively Fenerbahçe fans. From the boat terminal Kadıköy it is a twenty-minute walk to the stadium.
If you are already on the Asian side of Istanbul, you can also reach the stadium through the metro system. The stadium is only a fifteen-minute walk away from the metro station Kadıköy.
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