FOUNDATION & CREST
Trabzonspor
A city’s rivalry became a shared club.
How did a club begin, and how did its colours and crest tell its story?
- Founded
- 1967
- Place
- Trabzon
- Founding figures
- İdmanocağı, İdmangücü, Karadenizgücü ve Martıspor
01 / BEGINNINGS
The founding story
Trabzonspor was the result of an effort to unite the city’s football culture in one professional club. The rivalry between İdmanocağı and İdmangücü made negotiations difficult. Following the 1966 attempts, the present club emerged on 2 August 1967 through the merger of İdmanocağı, İdmangücü, Karadenizgücü and Martıspor.
The new club began in the second division, won promotion in 1973/74 and entered the top flight in 1974/75. The 1975/76 title gave national expression to the local football tradition behind the merger. Football in Trabzon therefore predates the club’s 1967 foundation.
Milestones in the story
- 1967The claret-and-blue club founded
- 1974Promotion to the top flight
- 1976First league title and crest competition
- 2023Current corporate identity guide
02 / IDENTITY
How the crest took shape
The early badge combined T and S within an oval form. A crest competition in 1976, after the first league title, began a new phase. In participant Halis Biçer’s account, the club selected Sinan Baykurt’s drawing, which established the basis of the recognisable modern design.
Baykurt’s design brought the initials and ball into one shape. Later refinements changed the date lettering, outlines, colours and star treatment. Rather than treating every shirt-print variation as a separate crest, this selection compares the early form, the post-competition redesign and the current identity.
The changing shape of the crest
Historical designs and the current crest are shown to compare the club’s identity. Not every minor shirt-print difference represents a separate official design.