Alanyaspor

Alanyaspor were founded in 1948 by Dr. Ali Nazım Köseoğlu and local youth as an amateur side first known as Alanya Kalespor, later Kale Gençlikspor; the early kit colours were blue–white. The club competed at amateur level until gaining full affiliation for 1965–66, when they entered the Antalya Amateur League in red–white.

In May 1982 a statute change under chairman Hüseyin Arıkan adopted the present orange–green identity and the name “Alanyaspor”. With the creation of Turkey’s professional TFF 3. Lig in 1984–85, Alanyaspor were admitted to the TFF 3. Lig—the first professional team from Alanya while construction of Alanya Oba Stadium was finally completed.

Under president Necati Azakoğlu the team won their TFF 3. Lig group in 1987–88 and earned promotion to the TFF 2. Lig for the first time. The club reached the sixth round of the Turkish Cup in 1993–94. Relegation back to the TFF 3. Lig followed in 1996–97, before a return as TFF 3. Lig champions in 2003–04.

Alanyaspor topped their group in 2005–06 and reached the promotion group, then the Ankara play-offs, but were eliminated by Pendikspor.

The team led their classification group in 2007–08 and, in the Turkish Cup, defeated top-flight Sivasspor 1–0 to qualify for the groups for the first time; they faced Fenerbahçe on 23 January 2008 at Milli Egemenlik Stadium in Alanya, losing 10–3, and finished the group without points against Kayserispor, Şanlıurfaspor and Gaziantepspor. In 2008–09 they again reached the groups after eliminating Gençlerbirliği 2–1, drawing with Sivasspor and Manisaspor, but losing to Denizlispor and Konyaspor.

The club narrowly avoided relegation in 2009–10 and placed 16th in 2010–11. A leadership crisis in 2011 brought a short interim by Mevlüthan Çavuşoğlu before Hasan Çavuşoğlu was elected with broad support; he would oversee the modern rise.

Alanyaspor finished 9th in 2012–13; during winter camp they hosted Galatasaray in a friendly at Alanya Oba Stadium. In 2013–14, after a notable 2–1 friendly win over Fenerbahçe, Alanyaspor finished second in the 2. Lig (Red Group) and won the promotion play-offs beating Amed and Ankaragücü before a penalty shoot-out victory over Hatayspor to reach the TFF 1. Lig.

Before 2014–15 the team played as “Albimo Alanyaspor” via a naming-rights deal, finishing third but losing the play-off semi-final to Samsunspor. In 2015–16, renamed “Multigroup Alanyaspor”, they again finished third and this time won promotion to the Süper Lig for the first time by defeating Adana Demirspor on penalties in the final.

Alanyaspor’s debut Süper Lig campaign in 2016–17 opened under promotion-winning coach Hüseyin Kalpar, but a rugged first half of the season led to his resignation on 16 January 2017. The club appointed former Bosnia and Herzegovina national coach Safet Sušić ten days later to steer the spring run-in. A key piece of their adaptation was the late-summer signing of Brazilian striker Vágner Love on a two-year deal, who finished the season as the league’s top scorer with 23 goals. With Sušić stabilizing results and Love’s goals providing punch, Alanyaspor secured mid-table safety and closed their first top-flight season on 40 points matching the tally they would post again the following year.

Alanyaspor’s second top-flight campaign 2017–18 brought another year of consolidation as the team finished 12th on 40 points in the Süper Lig, maintaining safety with a late-season uptick in form. In 2018–19 the club climbed into the top half, ending the season 9th with 44 points, aided by improved defensive numbers and consistent home results in Alanya.

The 2019–20 campaign was a high-water mark: Alanyaspor finished 5th on 57 points to secure European qualification and reached the Turkish Cup final, where they were narrowly beaten 2–0 by Trabzonspor in the Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 29 July 2020. As a result of the 2019–20 finish, Alanyaspor debuted in UEFA competition in 2020–21 but fell 1–0 away to Rosenborg in a one-off UEFA Europa League qualifying tie affected by the pandemic schedule; domestically they sustained form to claim 7th with 60 points and reached the Turkish Cup semi-finals (lost 2–0 to Antalyaspor).

In 2021–22 Alanyaspor put together one of the best seasons in club history, finishing 5th with 64 points after a mid-season managerial handover to Francesco Farioli, whose positional play approach stabilized results down the stretch. The 2022–23 campaign proved more turbulent; despite strong attacking spells, defensive fragility left the team 15th on 41 points, safely above the relegation places but short of the previous year’s standards.

A managerial reset under Fatih Tekke in 2023–24 delivered a solid rebound to 8th with 52 points after his early-November appointment was followed by an extended unbeaten run that secured a comfortable top-half finish. In 2024–25 the club settled mid-table again, finishing 12th with 45 points as squad churn was balanced by a consistent home record and incremental minutes for academy graduates under Tekke’s staff.

In January 2024 FIFA imposed a three-window transfer ban on the club for a registration dispute; the sanction was reported in Turkish media and later confirmed in federation bulletins.

From a 1948 amateur start to their 2016 promotion, Alanyaspor’s modern trajectory has featured professionalisation, a sequence of naming-rights eras, and consistent top-flight consolidation, punctuated by a first European appearance (2020) and repeated cup runs, alongside the deep shock of Josef Šural’s death in 2019 events that collectively shape the club’s contemporary identity.