Regulatory hurdle for Fenerbahçe's "Atatürk Stadium" name change

The Fenerbahçe board has received authorization from members to rename the stadium 'Fenerbahçe Atatürk Stadium,' but the change may not be possible due to Article 7 of the General Directorate of Sports Services' Regulation on Naming Facilities. According to the relevant article, the name 'Atatürk' can only be given to one similar facility in any given city.

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At the Fenerbahçe Extraordinary Congress, where the club's bylaws were amended to comply with the Law on Sports Clubs and Sports Federations, the authorization granted to the board for a stadium name change was on the agenda. Members unanimously authorized the board to name the stadium after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. This decision received great praise outside of the Fenerbahçe community as well. However, member approval alone is not enough for Fenerbahçe to name its stadium after Atatürk. There is one more important step.

MINISTRY APPROVAL REQUIRED FOR THE NAME ATATÜRK

Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç also addressed this in his speech, stating, "The approval of our general assembly is not sufficient on its own for the stadium name change to take place. This is because our stadiums are owned by the state. Naturally, every name change must be permitted by the state. We believe that they will seriously evaluate and approve the wishes and demands of the Fenerbahçe Sports Club. We have infinite faith in this."

STADIUM NAMES ARE REGULATED BY BYLAWS

According to a report by Burak Alaca from Ajansspor, regulations regarding stadium names are defined in the bylaws of the General Directorate of Sports, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The name of the regulation is the "General Directorate of Sports Regulation on Naming Facilities"... Three paragraphs of Article 7, which falls under the heading "Prohibitions regarding naming," contain the regulation regarding giving the name "Atatürk" to stadiums: Only one stadium named Atatürk can exist in a city.

Only one stadium named Atatürk can exist in a city.

(1) Names and titles related to Atatürk cannot be given to private physical education and sports facilities opened and operated by real and legal persons.

(2) Names related to Atatürk can be given to only one of the similar facilities in a city.

(3) The same names cannot be given to facilities with the same purpose located in the same province, district, town, village, or neighborhood.

ATATÜRK OLYMPIC STADIUM IN ISTANBUL

There is already a stadium in Istanbul that bears the name Atatürk. The Atatürk Olympic Stadium, which is Turkey's largest stadium with a capacity of approximately 75 thousand... This stadium most recently hosted the UEFA Champions League final.

News Source: 12punto