The Turkish Gridiron Football First League () is a professional American football league in Turkey.
History The development of American football in Turkey can be traced to the beginning of 1987, when U.S. Navy servicemen played a pickup game against Turkish students at Bogazici University in Istanbul. Boğaziçi Filler (later renamed Sultans) was founded in 1987, and the Bullets were founded in 1993 in Hacettepe (later named Red Deers after the university logo). Istanbul Technical (Hornets) and Marmara University (Sharks) teams were added during 1995-1996. However, the Marmara Sharks folded in 1998. In 2010, the number of club teams exceeded 13 and the number of universities over 24.
The first official match between two Turkish teams was played between the Boğaziçi Elephants and Istanbul Pistof in 1993. The Elephants won this match 28-0. The name Elephants was later changed to Sultans. After the 1995-1996 season, in line with the increase in the number of teams, the American Football League began to be organized according to the qualifying league fixture among universities. In the following years, the Hacettepe Red Deers, ITU Hornets, Marmara Sharks, METU Falcons, Ankara Cats, Gazi Warriors, Ege Dolphins, and Yeditepe Eagles university teams were also established. However, during these years, matches were played lacking the basic requirements of American football. The teams started buying proper equipment in 2001, and American football in Turkey took on a more professional structure. After the Bilkent Judges, Boğaziçi Sultans became the second team to have specialized equipment. The first match with this equipment was played in Ankara in 2001, with the Sultans winning 34-0. The Turkey American Football League was launched on 26 November 2005. Since the 2007-2008 season, American football competition has been played in two categories, the Professional League and the University League.
Seasons SeasonWinning teamScoreLosing teamVenueCityRef.2006 Amateur LeagueHacettepe Red Deers19–12Başkent KnightsBeytepe CampusÇankaya, Ankara2006Boğaziçi Sultans30–8Ege Dolphinsİnönü StadiumBeşiktaş, Istanbul2007Hacettepe Red Deers15–12(OT)Gazi WarriorsBeytepe CampusÇankaya, Ankara2008Hacettepe Red Deers20–14(2 OTs)Gazi WarriorsBeytepe CampusÇankaya, Ankara2009Boğaziçi Sultans22–20Istanbul CavaliersVefa StadiumFatih, Istanbul2010Istanbul Cavaliers18–13Gazi WarriorsBulvarspor StadiumKartal, Istanbul2011Gazi Warriors41–38(6 OTs)Boğaziçi SultansSakarya Atatürk StadiumAdapazarı, Sakarya2012Gazi Warriors47–12Hacettepe Red DeersCebeci StadiumÇankaya, Ankara2013Boğaziçi Sultans39–23METU FalconsAli Durmaz StadiumNilüfer, Bursa2014Boğaziçi Sultans30–23Koç RamsMaltepe Hasan Polat StadiumMaltepe, Istanbul2015Boğaziçi Sultans10–7Koç RamsMarmara BESYO StadiumBeykoz, Istanbul2016Koç Rams21–14Boğaziçi SultansITÜ StadiumSarıyer, Istanbul2017Koç Rams56–14Sakarya TatankalarıYusuf Ziya Öniş StadiumSarıyer, Istanbul2018Koç Rams52–21Boğaziçi SultansOlimpik Park Atletizm TesisiBaşakşehir, Istanbul2019Koç Rams29–19METU FalconsKoç University FieldSarıyer, Istanbul2020Yeditepe EaglesSeason was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.2022Boğaziçi Sultans17–14Koç RamsMaltepe Hasan Polat StadiumMaltepe, Istanbul2023Koç Rams17–14İstanbul BisonsOlimpik Park Atletizm TesisiBaşakşehir, Istanbul2024Koç Rams10–0İzmir HalcyonsHasan Doğan StadıYenimahalle, Ankara2025İTÜ Hornets28–27Koç RamsOlimpik Park Atletizm TesisiBaşakşehir, Istanbul2026İTÜ Hornets14–7Koç RamsSAÜ Kampüs StadıSerdivan, Sakarya
Teams
Türkiye Korumalı Futbol Ligi Teams (Pro League) ClubFoundedCityKoç Rams2004IstanbulBoğaziçi Sultans1987IstanbulITU Hornets1993IstanbulHacettepe Red Deers1993AnkaraGazi Warriors1996AnkaraMETU Falcons1996AnkaraSakarya Tatankaları2002AdapazarıAnadolu Rangers1993Eskişehir
See also - Begüm Kübra Tokyay (born 1993), Turkey's first female head official of American football.
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References