Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium (Istanbul)

The Ülker Stadium, previously known as Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the traditional home venue of major Turkish multi-sport club Fenerbahçe SK. The stadium was inaugurated in 1908 and renovated between 1929 and 1932, 1965 and 1982, and 1999 and 2006. On October 4, 2006, after numerous inspections by UEFA, Ülker Stadium was selected to host the 2009 UEFA Cup Final that went down to history as the last Final of the UEFA Cup football tournament, which was rebranded as the UEFA Europa League starting from the 2009–10 season.

General information

Arena capacity: 47,834 spectators

Address: Bağdat Cad. No.2 Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadyumu Kızıltoprak, 34724 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 40°59′15.7″N 29°02′13.3″E

Year of construction: 1908

Construction cost: $106 million

Field: Hybrid grass lawn

Seating plan of Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium

The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is an interesting design, partly a bowl of continuous seating but also broken up into different sections. It is a two-tiered affair with executive seating breaking up the East and West Stands. The North Stand houses the away supporters and The South Stand is where the home fans tend to locate themselves. The West Stand is the main one, housing the dugouts and changing rooms and so on.

1. North Stand – The north-east corner is where the away section is located. It is really large due to metal fencing. Like the rest of the stadium, visiting supporters have a decent view of the action on the pitch.
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2. East Stand – Continuing the two-tiered precedent set by the northern goal-end, the east stand adapts this slightly by adding a strip of executive boxes in between the upper and lower sections. This creates a stand which is slightly taller than its adjacent goal-ends, however as the roof is raised its hard to notice the height differences once inside.
3. South Stand – The southern stand is often where a lot of the noise is generated from on match days with some of the most passionate supporters choosing to watch the game from here. It’s these sorts of fans that give the Turkish stadiums not only their reputation for having an intimidating atmosphere but also their sheer passion for football.
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4. West Stand – The main stand of Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium this is similar in form to the eastern tribune, however it also houses the dug-outs, players tunnel and changing room facilities. The reserved sections of seating are covered up when not in use.

Away fans

Away fans are tucked within the corner within sections GH (Upper) and OP (lower) with additional sections F and N opened up to travelling supporters providing there is enough demand for tickets.

Home fans throughout the stadium chant for 90 minutes in order to create a hostile wall of sound that helps to give their team the edge, and one of the most intimidating away atmospheres in Europe!

When choosing a place in the stadium, use the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium scheme above.

Where to buy tickets?

The cost of tickets for Fenerbahçe matches change depending on who they’re playing against and where in the ground you’d like to sit. It’s also different depending on the competition you’re going to see, with the club often involved in both the Turkish Super Lig and European competition. In general for a run-of-the-mill league match you can pay as little as 17 Turkish Lira for a ticket and as much as 425 TL.

How to get Fenerbahçe Tickets

Buying tickets for Fenerbahçe matches is a complicated process. Aside from third-party websites you can also pick them up from the ticket office at the stadium. You can also get tickets online.

How to get there?

Sukru Saracoglu is located on the Asian side of the city of Istanbul, quite close to the bank of the Bosphorus in the historic district Kadikoy.

Train

You can probably get a train to Istanbul if you want but it’s likely to take several days. Better to get there by other means and then head to the stadium itself. Both Söğütlüçeşme and TCDD Kızıltoprak İstasyon Stations are within walking distance of the ground, if you’re hoping to get the train.

Bus

Bus numbers 4, ER1, 16, 16D, 222, FB1, FB2 and GZ1 all stop near enough to the stadium.

Car

If you’ve decided to drive in Turkey then all power to you. The ground is on Bagdat Cd, which is itself reachable from the Istanbul çevre Yolu. If that doesn’t make much sense then just use a sat-nav like sensible people.

By Air

Ataturk Airport is on the European side of the city of Istanbul and is just over fifteen miles or so from the centre. Sabiha Gökçen is newer and is on the city’s Asian side, about 25 miles from the docks.

Taxi

It will take about half an hour to get from the centre of Istanbul to the stadium, costing you in the region of 45 Turkish Lira.

Parking Near Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium

There are a couple of car parks at there ground but they aren’t that big and they tend to fill up quickly.

Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium Hotels

There is also a large number of hotels near the stadium. Here are some good options.

Timya Hotel – 30+

Rihtim Cad Kirmizi Kusak Sok, Istanbul, 34714

Just over half a mile from the stadium is this pleasant hotel that offers Wi-Fi in the reception areas. There’s a buffet breakfast included in the price of your stay, which is nice, as well as a business centre and laundry services should that be something you require.

Pasha Moda Hotel – 45+

Caferaga Mahallesi, Bahariye Caddesi, Istanbul, Kadikoy

Less than half a mile from the ground is this hotel in the Kadikoy district of the city. There’s a restaurant and bar in the hotel but if you really fancy a drink then you’ll also want to know about the nightclub. There’s a terrace area you can use and a garden, should the weather lend itself to being outside.

Kuzen Otel – 85+

Caferaga Mah. Dumlupinar Sk. No 13, Kadikoy, Istanbul

This adults only hotel is less than a mile from the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium and has not one but two restaurants for you to choose from. It’s only got twelve bedrooms, so you’ll have to book it fast if you’re interested. There’s a meeting room for those of you there on business and a roof terrace for anyone who’s more about chilling out.

Pubs & Bars Near Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium

Sukru Saracoglu Stadium is situated in the lively Kadikoy district, which means that there are many bars, cafés, and restaurants a small walk away. You are likely to bump into anything of your liking on your way from the ferry to the stadium, but if not, head to Kadife Street, where there is a nice selection of bars.

Mackolik Complex

Zühtüpaşa, 34724 Kadıköy, İstanbul

The Mackolik Complex is one of the best places in Istanbul to head to if you fancy having a quiet drink, a bite to eat and watching some live sport. There’s a cracking food menu with plenty of different choices for even the fussiest of eaters. Yet it’s the live sport section that really captures the attention, with three HD projectors and twelve plasma screens dotted about the place.

Olimpiyat 2 Minas Restaurant

Samsa Sokak No:5 Kumkapı-Eminönü

If you’re more interested in getting a bite to eat than watching live sport then you’re not going to go too far wrong with the Olimpyat 2. Specialising in fish dishes and having room to serve 300 people at once, this will give you a true sense of what Turkish hospitality can offer. You’ll enjoy a brilliant atmosphere, probably with some live music thrown in to boot!

Benzin Cafe

Caferağa, Colonel Faik Sözden Cad. Pier Business Center No: 7 D: 3, 34710, Kadikoy

Back to somewhere you can enjoy watching the football, then, and Benzin Cafe has it all. As well as a couple of screens that tend to perpetually show live sport, there’s also plenty of drinking options and the sort of food choices you’d expect from an American diner type place. Funny, as that’s the way it’s decorated too.

Hospitality

There are two main levels of hospitality at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. The East Stand contains a row of executive boxes from where you can watch Fenerbahçe matches in style. The West Stand, meanwhile, has a row of executive seating that sits between the two main tiers. That is less luxurious than a private box but also considerably less expensive.

Private hire

As with most football grounds around the world, you’ll be able to hire certain parts of the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium if you’re hoping to host an event there. The club can give you more details about what you’ll need to do.

History

Before Ülker Stadium was built, the field was known as Papazın Çayırı (The field of the priest). The field, however, became the very first football pitch of Turkey, where the first league games of the Istanbul Football League were all held consecutively. In 1908, the local teams in the league needed a regular football field, so this land was leased from the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II for 30 Ottoman gold pounds a year. The total construction cost was 3,000 Ottoman gold pounds. The name was changed to the Union Club Field after the club which made the highest donation for construction of the ground.

The Union Club Field was used by many teams in İstanbul, including the owner, Union Club (which changed its name to İttihatspor after World War I), Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, and Beşiktaş. However, it lost its importance when a bigger venue, the Taksim Stadium, was built in 1922, inside the courtyard of the historic Taksim Topçu Kışlası (Taksim Artillery Barracks), which was located at the present-day Taksim Gezi Parkı (Taksim Park).

İttihatspor (which had close relations with the political İttihat ve Terakki), was forced to sell it to the state, in which Şükrü Saracoğlu was a member of the CHP government. Thus, the ownership of the stadium passed to the state, but the field was immediately leased to Fenerbahçe. Later, on May 27, 1933, Fenerbahçe purchased the stadium from the government when Şükrü Saracoğlu was the President of Fenerbahçe, for either the symbolic amount of 1 TL or the worth of the stadium which was 9,000 TL.

The name of the field was changed to Fenerbahçe Stadium, and this made Fenerbahçe SK the first football club in Turkey to own their stadium, with the help of the Şükrü Saracoğlu government. In the following years, Fenerbahçe SK renovated the stadium and increased its seating capacity. By the year 1949, Fenerbahçe Stadium was the largest football venue in Turkey, with a seating capacity of 25,000.

The name of the stadium was changed once more in 1998, becoming Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, named after Fenerbahçe’s legendary chairman and Turkey’s 5th Prime Minister Şükrü Saracoğlu. In 1999, the latest round of renovations and capacity increasing projects started. The stands on the four sides of the stadium were torn down one at a time, as the Turkish Super League seasons progressed, and the entire renewal and construction project was finalised in 2006.