Adanaspor

History

Adanaspor was founded in 1954 by Mehmet Şanlıtürk, Mustafa Bekbaş, Erol Erk, Ali Gedikbaş and Dr. Muzaffer Eraslan. The clubs' original colours were yellow and navy. They competed in the amateur league until 1966. Adanaspor merged with Akinspor and Torosspor in order to become a fully professional club. They were admitted into the 2. Lig (Second Division) in their first season as a professional club. After the merge, they changed their colours to orange and white.

The club competed in the 2. Lig until they earned promotion to the 1. Lig (Süper Lig) at the conclusion of the 1970–71 season. They won their first cup, the Gençlik ve Spor Bakanlığı Kupası in 1973. Adanaspor defeated İzmir Denizgücü 2–0 in the final, with Behçet Arkun and Orhan Yalçınkaya scoring the goals. They spent thirteen straight years in the 1. Lig, from 1971–84, competing in the UEFA Cup three times and the Balkans Cup once.

Adanaspor finished fourth at the end of 1975–76 season, their highest finish in the top-flight at the time. They went on to best their record, finishing second in 1980–81. They were relegated for the first time in 1984, but earned promotion back in 1988 after winning the 2. Lig. However, due to financial troubles, the club could not keep up their level of performance and were relegated back to the 2. Lig at the end of the 1990–91 season.

The club spent the next several years bouncing back and forth between leagues. The club spiraled out of control in the mid-2000s, declaring bankruptcy in 2005. They were relegated three times in a row, ending up in the 3. Lig (Fourth Division) in 2006. However, they earned double promotion in 2006–07 and 2007–08. They had been competing in the 1. Lig (Second Division) until 2016, narrowly missing out on promotion to the Süper Lig at the end of the 2009–10 season.

Adanaspor finished 6th 1st League in 2011–12 season and qualified to Promotion Play-offs. They defeated Çaykur Rizespor with a 4–1 aggregate but were beaten by Kasımpaşa a 3–2 score (normal time score was 2–2) after extra time and missed return to top level. Finally Adanaspor guaranteed to return Süper Lig after defeating Gaziantep BB as 3–2 at away match coming from 0–2 deficit in 24 April 2016.

Colours and badge

The current badge of Adanaspor features a cotton ball superimposed over an orange background. Adana, the city where Adanaspor is based, grows some of the largest crops of cotton and orange in Turkey. The badge also features the foundation date (1954), as well as the club name and the city name.

Stadium

Adanaspor play their home matches at Adana 5 Ocak Stadı, a multi-purpose stadium they share with Adana Demirspor. The stadium opened in 1973 and has a capacity of 14,085 seats, all-seated. The field measures 68 by 105 meters and is covered with grass. The stadium also has floodlights.

Supporters and rivalries

The main supporters group is called Turbeyler.

Adanaspor are not known to have any political tendencies, however they were once owned by communications industry mogul Cem Uzan, who had links to the nationalist Youth Party.

League participations

Current squad

As of 26 June 2016.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Honours

European Participations

UEFA Cup/Europa League: