Ankaraspor Kulübü (), formerly known as Osmanlıspor (), is a Turkish professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in the country's capital
Ankara. Founded in 1978, the club competes in the
TFF Second League
TFF 2. Lig (Turkish Football Federation Second League), is the third level in the Turkish football league system. It was founded in the 2001–02 season with the name of ''Turkish Second League Category B'' as a continuation of the then second lev ...
.
History
Ankaraspor was founded as "Ankara Belediye Spor Kulübü" (Ankara Municipality Sport Club) in 1978. The club has undergone several name changes throughout its history. In 1984, they were renamed "Ankara Büyükşehir Belediye Spor Kulübü" (adding "Metropolitan" to the name). The name was simply switched to "Büyükşehir Belediye Ankaraspor Kulübü" in 1998. "Büyükşehir Belediye Ankaraspor Kulübü" has many sub-divisions branching from its main football division. These include
badminton,
basketball,
boxing,
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
,
ice hockey,
judo,
oil wrestling,
table tennis,
wrestling. Finally, in 2005, the football club changed its name to "Ankaraspor A.Ş." and only focused on football, while "Büyükşehir Belediye Ankaraspor Kulübü" continued its activity on branches other than football.
On 15 September 2009, Ankaraspor was demoted from the Turkish Super League by The Professional Football Disciplinary Committee (PFDK) over its unsportsmanlike relationship with
Ankaragücü, which was deemed contrary to sporting competitiveness. All Ankaraspor games in the 2009–10 season were cancelled and awarded 3–0 to Ankaraspor's opponents by default. Ankaraspor was expelled from the Turkish leagues by
TFF on 4 August 2010 due to being sued by TFF for objecting to forced relegation in 2009–10.
In the 2013–14 season, they were readmitted to TFF First League. In the 2014–15 season, they were champions of the division, resulting in their promotion to the Süper Lig.
On 29 June 2014, the club adopted the name "Osmanlıspor", which refers to
Osman I, founder of the
Ottoman Empire.
On 8 September 2020, Osmanlıspor was renamed Ankaraspor, their former name.
Club badge and colours
Ankaraspor's home colours are blue and white.
The previous badge consisted of a blue and white colored shield, which bore the name and the foundation year of the club. The shield featured a view of an
Anatolian leopard with some hexagon panels of a football in its head and chest. This animal, which lived in
Anatolia and especially near
Ankara for a period of time, symbolized the power and dignity of the club.
Stadium
Ankaraspor play their home matches at
Yenikent Stadium which was opened in 1974 and renovated in 2008.
European participations
Players
Squad
Other players under contract
Out on loan
References
External links
Official websiteAnkaraspor on TFF.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ankaraspor
Association football clubs established in 1978
Football clubs in Ankara
1978 establishments in Turkey
Süper Lig clubs