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Fenerbahçe Women's Volleyball, commonly known as Fenerbahçe and officially known as Fenerbahçe Medicana for commercial reasons, are the professional women's volleyball department of Fenerbahçe SK, a major Turkish multi-sport club based in Istanbul, Turkey. They play their matches at the 7.000-seated Burhan Felek Sport Hall. Fenerbahçe compete in the Turkish Women's Volleyball League, which is considered to be one of the best and most competitive leagues in the world.
| Full name | Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | FB Fener | ||
| Nickname | Sarı Kanaryalar (The Yellow Canaries) Sarı Lacivertliler (The Yellow-Navy Blues) Sarı Melekler (The Yellow Angels) | ||
| Founded | 1928 (initial) 1954 (refounded) | ||
| Ground | Burhan Felek Sport Hall (Capacity: 7,000) | ||
| Chairman |  Ali Koç | ||
| Manager |  Marco Fenoglio | ||
| Captain | Eda Erdem Dündar | ||
| League | Sultanlar Ligi CEV Champions League | ||
| 2023–24 | Champion | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| Championships | |||
| 1 World Championship 1 European Championship 1 CEV Cup 15 Turkish Championships 4 Turkish Cups 5 Turkish Super Cups | |||
Founded in 1928, Fenerbahçe are one of the best volleyball teams in Turkey and in the world. They were crowned World Champions by winning the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship undefeated in 2010, thus achieving the first Intercontinental Quadruple ever in Turkish volleyball history, after having won the Turkish League, Turkish Cup, and the Turkish Super Cup in 2010.[1] Fenerbahçe became the first Turkish team to claim a World Championship title. After being runners-up in the CEV Champions League in 2010, Fenerbahçe finally were crowned European Champions in the 2011–12 season after defeating French powerhouse RC Cannes in three straight sets (25–14, 25–22, and 25–20) in the final game.[2] The club also reached the third place of the Champions League twice, in the 2010–11 and 2015–16 seasons.
Fenerbahçe also won the CEV Cup by defeating Russia's Uralochka-NTMK Ekaterinburg 3–0 (25-11, 28-26, 25-22) in the 2014 finals in front of their passionate home crowd, thus writing volleyball history as the men's team won another continental title, the CEV Challenge Cup, the very same day.[3][4] By achieving this unparalleled feat, Fenerbahçe became the first and only sports club in Turkey and one of a few in Europe with European titles won in both the men's and women's volleyball departments.
In Turkey the club have won 15 Turkish Championship titles (7 in the current Turkish Women's Volleyball League and 8 in the former Turkish Women's Volleyball Championship), 4 Turkish Cups, and 5 Turkish Super Cups, among others.
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- Fenerbahçe (1928, 1954–2007)
- Fenerbahçe Acıbadem (2007–2011)
- Fenerbahçe Universal (2011–2012)
- Fenerbahçe (2012–2014)
- Fenerbahçe Grundig (2014–2016)
- Fenerbahçe (2016–2018)
- Fenerbahçe Opet (2018–2024)
- Fenerbahçe Medicana (2024–present)
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The women's volleyball department was founded in 1928 by Sabiha Gürayman who, as a young woman, played for the club's men's volleyball team, and was the first woman architect in Turkey. However, the section was closed due to lack of opponents. In 1954, a new era started with assistance from Çamlıca Girls' High School (tr). Starting in 1958, the girls won eight Turkish Championships among many other titles. In 1977, the department was closed again until 1989, this time due to insufficient funds. In 1993, the team was promoted from the Istanbul First League to the Turkish Second League. The following year, they played in the Turkish First League. However, they were relegated to the Turkish Second League in the 1995–96 season.[citation needed]
Fenerbahçe returned to the Turkish First League in the 2002–03 season, and were runners-up in the 2006–07 season. The senior team was renamed as Fenerbahçe Acıbadem due to a sponsorship agreement with the Acıbadem Healthcare Group from 2007 to 2011. The Yellow Angels were runners-up after Eczacıbaşı SK in the 2007–08 season, too. They gained the ninth Turkish title in their history in the 2008–09 season, after defeating their archrivals Eczacıbaşı SK in the finals (3–2, 0–3, 3–1, 3–1), which was their first ever title in the league's current format that had started with the 1984–85 season.[citation needed]
Fenerbahçe's women's team shone in the 2009–10 season as the Yellow Angels finished the first round of the 2009–10 Turkish League undefeated in 22 matches (setting a 66:2 set ratio record), and reached the Final Four of the 2009–10 CEV Women's Champions League undefeated. The team then beat the host team RC Cannes in a thrilling five-setter, but eventually lost to Volley Bergamo in five sets in the final, even though they came back after falling two sets down: 22–25, 21–25, 25–22, 25–20, 9–15. Yekaterina Gamova was named the best scorer and Nataša Osmokrović was chosen the best server of the tournament.[5]
The star-studded team of Fenerbahçe were on top of the world on 21 December 2010 in Doha, Qatar after beating South American titleholders Sollys Osasco 3–0 (25–23, 25–22, 25–17) to become the first team in 16 years to claim the 2010 FIVB Women's Club World Championship[6] where Katarzyna Skowrońska was named the MVP and Best Scorer, while Eda Erdem Dündar was the Best Server.
In 2011, Fenerbahçe SK organized the Champions League Final Four in the Burhan Felek Sports Hall in Istanbul, however, in the semi-final the Yellow Angels lost to Turkish rivals Vakıfbank in a heart-breaking five setter (25–19, 21–25, 25–21, 19–25, 11–15), and lost the chance to be the very first team in Turkish volleyball history to win the Champions League title. The Yellow Angels settled for the third place after beating Scavolini Pesaro in four sets (14–25, 25–21, 25–21, 25–21), thanks to the national heroines Seda Tokatlıoğlu, Naz Aydemir and Eda Erdem Dündar.
In 2012 the club won the CEV Volleyball Champions League, which was organized in Baku on 24–25 March 2012, having defeated French powerhouse RC Cannes in the final in three straight sets (25–14, 25–22, and 25–20). Kim won the MVP award and the Best Scorer award, while Naz Aydemir was named the Best Setter.[7]
Fenerbahçe, which had an ambitious squad again as a result of the restructuring, managed to become the champion of the CEV Cup (which they lost in the finals a year ago) this time (Fenerbahçe women's volleyball team became the champion by defeating the Russian Uraloçka team on March 29, 2014, while Fenerbahçe men's volleyball team also became the champion by defeating the Italian Andreoli Latina team 3-0 in the CEV Challenge Cup on the same day, and the Yellow-Navy Blues became the first team to win two European Cups on the same day[8]). The Yellow-Navy Blues reached the finals of the Turkish Women's Volleyball League in the same season, and despite reaching the finals of the Turkish Cup, they remained in second place. However, the Yellow Angels continued their rise in the 2014-15 season and left behind Vakıfbank, Eczacıbaşı and Galatasaray Daikin in the final group held in Ankara and İzmir between 22 April and 1 May 2015 and reached the 12th Turkish championship in their history. The team also became the champion of the Turkish Cup in the same season (for the second time in their history), and closed the season with a double cup. The yellow-dark blue team was eliminated in the play-off round of the Champions League by Vakıfbank. The Yellow Angels entered the 2015-16 season by defeating Vakıfbank and winning the Champions Cup championship (for the third time in its history), while in the Turkish League, despite finishing the regular season as the leader, they lost to the same team twice in the final group and finished the league in second place. In the CEV Women's Champions League, they came third in Europe. The 2016-17 season was another golden season for Fenerbahçe. Having won the double championship in Turkish League and Turkish Cup, the Yellow Angels especially eliminated Eczacıbaşı in the semi-finals of the League, and came from behind 14-9 to win the golden set of the match on April 12, 2017 that determined the finalist, and surprisingly faced Galatasaray Daikin, who eliminated Vakıfbank in the finals. The Yellow-dark blue team won all three matches comfortably, reaching their 13th Turkish championship, while the Yellow-red team's championship longing since 1966 continued. The photo of the two teams' players arm in arm at the cup ceremony went down in history as one of the unforgettable moments in the eternal rivalry.[9]
After this championship, the Yellow Angels maintained their claims in both the Turkish and European Cups, but they entered a five-year championship longing. The Yellow-Navy Blues finished third in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons in the Turkish League and second in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons (the 2019-20 season could not be completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic), played in the finals of the Turkish Cup in the 2018-19, 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. In the CEV Women's Champions League, they were semi-finalists in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons, and came third in the 2021-22 season.
Starting from the 2022-23 season, Fenerbahçe started to embrace the championships it missed again. Having started the aforementioned season by beating Vakıfbank 3-0 and becoming the Champions Cup champion for the fourth time in its history,[10] The Yellow Canaries defeated the same team in the golden set in the Turkish League semifinals and Eczacıbaşı in all three matches in the final, reaching their 14th Turkish championship in their history.[11] In the 2023-24 season, the Yellow Angels increased their level of success and won double championships in the Turkish League and Turkish Cup. In this way, the Yellow-Navy Blues, who reached their 15th Turkish championship, made a great contribution to the Turkish women's national volleyball team, which rose to the top of the world with the success they achieved. In this context, Eda Erdem (captain), Melissa Vargas (top scorer) and Aslı Kalaç played in the national team that won the Nations League, European Championship and World Cup championships in 2023.
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Worldwide competitions
European competitions
Domestic competitions
- Turkish Women's Volleyball League
- Turkish Women's Volleyball Championship
Winners (8): 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72
Runners-up (3): 1960–61, 1972–73, 1974–75
Third place (3): 1961–62, 1973–74, 1976–77
- Turkish Cup
- Winners (4): 2009–10, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2023–24
- Runners-up (5): 2008–09, 2013–14, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Turkish Super Cup
- Winners (5): 2009, 2010, 2015, 2022, 2024
- Runners-up (4): 2011, 2014, 2017, 2023
- Turkish Federation Cup
- Winners (2): 1959–60, 1976–77
- Runners-up (1): 1965–66
- Istanbul Women's Volleyball League
- Winners (11): 1954–55, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73
- Runners-up (5): 1959–60, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75
- Third place (6): 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1976–77
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Season 2024–2025
| No. | Player | Position | Date of Birth | Height (m) | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gizem Örge | Libero | 26 April 1993 | 1.70 | Turkey |
| 3 | Magdalena Stysiak | Opposite | 3 December 2000 | 2.03 |  Poland |
| 5 | Özlem Güven | Libero | 1 October 1997 | 1.65 | Turkey |
| 8 | Aslı Kalaç | Middle blocker | 13 December 1995 | 1.83 | Turkey |
| 9 | Meliha İsmailoğlu | Outside hitter | 17 September 1993 | 1.88 | Turkey |
| 11 | Hristina Ruseva | Middle blocker | 1 October 1991 | 1.92 |  Bulgaria |
| 12 | Ana Cristina de Souza | Outside hitter | 7 April 2004 | 1.93 |  Brazil |
| 14 | Eda Erdem Dündar (c) | Middle blocker | 22 June 1987 | 1.88 | Turkey |
| 15 | Arelya Karasoy Koçaş | Setter | 14 December 1996 | 1.82 | Turkey |
| 16 | Elitsa Vasileva | Outside hitter | 13 May 1990 | 1.96 | Bulgaria |
| 17 | Bojana Drča | Setter | 29 March 1988 | 1.86 |  Serbia |
| 18 | Dicle Nur Babat | Middle blocker | 15 September 1992 | 1.91 | Turkey |
| 41 | Liza Safronova | Outside Hitter | 17 January 2006 | 1.90 | Turkey |
| 44 | Melissa Vargas | Opposite | 16 October 1999 | 1.93 | Turkey |
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This is a list of the home halls the senior team played at in the recent years.
| # | Hall | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burhan Felek Sport Hall | 2004–2007 |
| 2 | Caferağa Sport Hall – Haldun Alagaş Sports Hall1 | 2007–2008 |
| 3 | 50th Anniversary Sport Hall | 2008–2010 |
| 4 | Burhan Felek Sports Hall | 2010– |
| 5 | Ülker Sports Arena | 2015– |
1 CEV Champions League games only.
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| Criteria |
|---|
|
To appear in this section a player must have either:
|
Players written in italic still play for the club.
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1 Main sponsorship 2 Back sponsorship 3 Lateral sponsorship 4 Short sponsorship |
|
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