Team of ‘disadvantaged girls’ preparing for Sultans League

Ece Çelik - ISTANBUL

The volleyball club founded three years ago by a female entrepreneur for “disadvantaged girls” aims to enter the Sultans League, the highest professional women’s volleyball league in Türkiye.

Hatice Bilginsoy from the southeastern province of Gaziantep became the first girl in her family to study, even though girls were not allowed to be educated in her family. After working in the banking profession for a while, she got into the textile business as her enthusiasm for innovation in did not subside.

“My son was a good basketball player, and my daughter was a good swimmer. These activities contributed a lot to them both physically and socially. So, my husband and I thought, ‘Can we create a sports opportunity for disadvantaged girls in Gaziantep?’” Bilginsoy stated while expressing her story to found the volleyball club.

The volleyball club, which was established for talented girls who do not have access to sports due to economic or social impossibilities, has become an idol team in Gaziantep, she noted.

Bilginsoy stated that the team, which worked more locally after its establishment, bought the rights to play in the league as it had to exist in the league to increase interest in volleyball.

“We have always set the highest goal for ourselves. There are always municipality and bank teams in the First League. We are the first special team,” Bilginsoy pointed out.

“In the first year, we finished the league in third place among 24 teams. We formed a better team in the second year. Currently, we have nine wins in nine matches in the league, we are moving forward. I believe that we will go to the Sultans League at the end of this year.”

Reminding that they created training facilities for the club in the second year of it’s foundation, Bilginsoy stated that the club currently has 250 female athletes.

They discovered talented students by working in partner schools with the Governor’s Office, she added.

“Currently, 10 of our teachers are working to educate talented students in Gaziantep,” Bilginsoy explained.