Turkish football’s most decorated club announces a commercial partnership seeking positive change — on and off the pitch
Capital Sports Media, London — 05.08.20 | Turkey is a football country, with 35 million of its people avid followers of the beautiful game. Over 40% of those support the country’s biggest club, Galatasaray. While 2020 has seen football — and life itself — sidelined by the global COVID-19 pandemic, it’s also been an inauspicious sporting year for this great old club from the banks of the Bosphorus.
Seeking real change to its commercial and sporting model, the partnership will see Galatasaray lead a change in Turkish football. This begins in earnest with a select number of launch partners that match the values of the club and share Capital Sports Media’s vision to create opportunities to engage with one of the most sought after and hard-to-reach fanbases in the world.
With 22 Turkish League titles, 18 Turkish Cup wins, 16 Turkish Super Cup wins and European success around the turn of the century (in both the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup) Galatasaray is far from used to playing second fiddle to its Turkish rival clubs. However, as this season draws to a close they find themselves with no prospect of domestic success; after a tricky run of games following the Turkish Super Lig restart.
Dorukhan Acar, a member of Galatasaray’s board: “We feel now is the right time to embrace a change in the way we operate and interact within the sport. Not only with our hugely loyal fans here in Turkey but also on football’s global stage. After a long search, we believe we have found the right kind of investment partner, offering a fresh perspective and impetus that can only benefit our great club from both commercial and sporting perspectives.”
Galatasaray have a hugely loyal and engaged fanbase. The Turkish club is only rivalled by the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Juventus and Barcelona in terms of Twitter and Instagram engagements — placing comfortably alongside them in the world’s top 5 clubs on each platform.
Tim Mangnall, CEO of Capital Sports Media: “We see enormous potential in Galatasaray and here in Turkey. Capital Sports Media has made a long-term investment in the future of Galatasaray. We see a range of opportunities to develop and grow a hugely successful brand partnership with this club, one whose history and fanbase marks it out as a giant in football, both home and abroad.
“We and Galatasaray are looking to change the sporting landscape within Turkey, creating new and exciting opportunities for some of the world’s leading brands — while providing a commercial platform for Galatasaray to go on and be everything they’re capable of being on the field.”
ABOUT CAPITAL SPORTS MEDIA
Capital Sports Media is an investment firm working with leading rights holders across the world. We aim to develop and grow sports properties utilising our experience and knowledge of the sports industry delivering investment across media assets through selling, managing and servicing commercial rights for our partners.
We advise our rights holders on commercial behaviour, fan engagement and strategic growth partnerships while also connecting brands to exclusive media opportunities.
PRESS CONTACT(S)
TURKEY
Didem Dilmen, Capital Sports Media
+90(0)5352866504
UK / EU
Gary Burns, Heaven Media
gary@heavenmedia.com
+44(0)7888884992