Istanbul Football League

The Istanbul Football League () was founded as a regional football league under the name Constantinople Football Association League by James La Fontaine and Henry Pears in Istanbul, the capital of the former Ottoman Empire, in 1904. The Istanbul League was the first football organization ever in the Ottoman Empire and later Turkey. In the inaugural 1904–05 season the matches between the four teams, Moda FC, HMS Imogene, Elpis FC, and Cadi-Keuy FC were played on Sundays, leading to the name of the league, Istanbul Sunday League. Henry Pears, an Englishman and one of the three founders, promised to ultimately award the shield to the club with the most championships won during the initial 10 years.

The Istanbul Friday League was founded in 1915 and replaced the Istanbul Sunday League. Seven teams participated in its inaugural 1915–16 season. From 1923–24 to 1950–51 the league was called Istanbul League. The name was later changed and became Istanbul Professional League in the 1952 season, as professionalism was introduced by the Turkish Football Federation in 1951.

Fenerbahçe are the most successful club, having won the league a record 16 times in total.

Champions

Istanbul Sunday League (Ä°stanbul Pazar Ligi)

• 1905 HMS Imogene FC
• 1906 Cadi-Keuy FC
• 1907 Cadi-Keuy FC
• 1908 Moda FC
• 1909 Galatasaray SK
• 1910 Galatasaray SK
• 1911 Galatasaray SK
• 1912 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1913 Unaccomplished due to the Balkan Wars
• 1914 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1915 Galatasaray SK & Fenerbahçe SK

Istanbul Friday League (Ä°stanbul Cuma Ligi)

• 1916 Galatasaray SK
• 1917 Altınordu Ä°dman Yurdu
• 1918 Altınordu Ä°dman Yurdu
• 1919 Unaccomplished due to Mudros Armistice
• 1920 Cancelled
• 1921 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1922 Galatasaray SK
• 1923 Fenerbahçe SK

Istanbul League (Ä°stanbul Ligi)

• 1924 Beşiktaş JK
• 1925 Galatasaray SK
• 1926 Galatasaray SK
• 1927 Galatasaray SK
• 1928 Cancelled due to the Summer Olympics in Amsterdam
• 1929 Galatasaray SK
• 1930 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1931 Galatasaray SK
• 1932 Ä°stanbulspor
• 1933 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1934 Beşiktaş JK
• 1935 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1936 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1937 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1938 Güneş SK
• 1939 Beşiktaş JK
• 1940 Beşiktaş JK
• 1941 Beşiktaş JK
• 1942 Beşiktaş JK
• 1943 Beşiktaş JK
• 1944 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1945 Beşiktaş JK
• 1946 Beşiktaş JK
• 1947 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1948 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1949 Galatasaray SK
• 1950 Beşiktaş JK
• 1951 Beşiktaş JK

Istanbul Professional League

• 1952 Beşiktaş JK
• 1953 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1954 Beşiktaş JK
• 1955 Galatasaray SK
• 1956 Galatasaray SK
• 1957 Fenerbahçe SK
• 1958 Galatasaray SK
• 1959 Fenerbahçe SK

Performance by club

*Galatasaray in the Istanbul Football Union League and Fenerbahçe in the Istanbul Champions League became champions.

Top Scorers

Records

Titles

• Most titles: 16
• Fenerbahçe SK

• Most consecutive titles: 5
• Beşiktaş JK (1938–39, 1939–40, 1940–41, 1941–42, 1942–43)

Biggest wins

• 20–0, Galatasaray SK vs Vefa SK, 1925–26
• 16–0, Fenerbahçe SK vs Anadolu Üsküdar 1908, 1930–31
• 14–0, Fenerbahçe SK vs Topkapı SK, 1938–39
• 14–0, Fenerbahçe SK vs Topkapı SK, 1939–40
• 14–1, Galatasaray SK vs Anadolu Üsküdar 1908, 1914–15
• 13–0, Fenerbahçe SK vs Süleymaniye SK, 1930–31
• 13–0, Beşiktaş JK vs Hilal SK, 1939–40
• 13–1, Fenerbahçe SK vs Davutpaşa SK, 1942–43
• 12–0, Fenerbahçe SK vs Süleymaniye SK, 1915–16
• 12–0, Beşiktaş JK vs Topkapı SK, 1939–40
• 12–1, Galatasaray SK vs Topkapı SK, 1936–37
• 12–1, Beşiktaş JK vs Taksim SK, 1941–42
• 11–0, Galatasaray SK vs Moda-Imogene Muhteliti, 1909–10
• 10–0, Galatasaray SK vs Süleymaniye SK, 1934–35
• 11–2, Beşiktaş JK vs Eyüp SK, 1936–37
• 11–2, Galatasaray SK vs Eyüp SK, 1937–38
• 11–2, Beşiktaş JK vs Eyüp SK, 1937–38
• 11–2, Beşiktaş JK vs Kasımpaşa SK, 1943–44
• 11–2, Beşiktaş JK vs Ä°stanbulspor, 1943–44

References

Sources

• Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü Tarihi 1907–1957, Dr. Rüştü Dağlaroğlu