Ümraniyespor to Collaborate with Mesut Özil on Youth Development and Facilities

Ünal Memiç, the vice president of Trendyol 1. Lig team Ümraniyespor, shared his thoughts on the new season with an AA correspondent. He announced that former footballer Mesut Özil would be entrusted with the youth development program.

Ünal Memiç stated, “There has been a very positive development regarding the youth setup. When we took over the management, our president received a phone call. Mesut Özil proposed using the land allocated to us to build a youth development facility. Of course, during our meeting with Mesut Özil, we suggested something else. Instead of just allocating him a place here, we offered him the entire youth program. We told him he could organize and manage the U19 team completely. He liked the idea, as he preferred being integrated with us rather than using the land independently. This way, we could utilize and market the players he develops. He also added, ‘Let us develop them, you play them. You benefit. We have no financial expectations.'”

Memiç emphasized that talks with Mesut Özil were nearing completion, saying, “Discussions have been ongoing for two months, and action will be taken once the protocols are signed. Mesut Özil will make a significant investment here, both in terms of youth facilities and pitches. Subsequently, we also requested something from him. We asked for a player hotel. Everything should be ready for the next season. We want to host teams coming to Istanbul for away matches, providing them with training grounds here. We are looking to create an economic input for Ümraniyespor. The player hotel would accommodate teams coming from outside Istanbul and provide them with a training pitch.”

Noting that they first discussed what needs to be done for the club to have a sustainable economy, Memiç emphasized the importance of sponsorships for football economics. “We discussed among ourselves what we could do. As Spoint İnşaat, we first acquired the naming rights sponsorship of the stadium. From now on, our stadium will be known as Spoint İnşaat Ümraniyespor Stadium. We also acquired the sponsorship for the giant screen behind the goal and the sleeve sponsorship on the jerseys as Spoint İnşaat.”

“Tuncay is a Brand”
Regarding the team’s head coach, Tuncay Şanlı, Memiç said, “Tuncay is a brand. He has represented us well both domestically and internationally. From a footballer and community perspective, he has excited both the board and the players. Tuncay’s arrival has also brought the community to a good place. We believe there is a good synergy, as evidenced by our two wins in three matches.”

Memiç noted that all lower league teams aim to move up to the next league, saying, “There is an economy to this. We need to create a sustainable economy, gradually and steadily moving up and establishing permanence.”

He also stated that as one of the clubs with the lowest budgets, they are targeting the Süper Lig without exceeding their budget significantly, saying, “We have built a modest squad. We are still making transfers, but our goal is to make the right transfers within our budget.”

Regarding transfer developments, Memiç said:
“Under the leadership of our president, Ömür Aydın, we formed a team related to transfers. Our current sporting director is Murat Dizdar, one of the first names we appointed when we took over. He is someone who has worked in the youth setups of some of Turkey’s top football clubs. Under his directorship, we prepared an action plan and subsequently agreed with our coach, Tuncay Şanlı. Based on the deficiencies identified by Coach Tuncay, we have gradually carried out our transfers.”

“There is No Tangible Reason for Anelka’s Resignation.”
Drawing attention to the manner of resignation of Nicolas Anelka, who stepped down from his role as CEO at Central Hospital Ümraniyespor, Memiç said, “Anelka had big dreams when he joined. We didn’t see anything positive from him when we took over the management. Just nine days after we took over, Anelka announced his resignation. He announced this on social media. His departure was not pleasant. After we came in, I can’t say he met expectations. There is no tangible reason for Anelka’s resignation. He suddenly made some interesting statements and announced his resignation on social media. I think it was an ego battle.”