Retro Rizespor Shirt – Tradition from the Eastern Black Sea

The story of Rizespor begins on 19 May 1953, a symbolic date that coincides with Turkey’s national Youth and Sports Day. At its founding, the club still wore green and yellow - a direct tribute to the region’s two defining economic products: the lush green of the tea plantations and the bright yellow of lemons and mandarins. Only later was the yellow replaced by the deep blue of the Black Sea, creating the now-iconic green-and-blue look. In the 1970s, the club experienced its first major rise to the top tier of Turkish football and established itself as a combative outsider that regularly troubled the giants from Istanbul. Love for the club grew inseparably alongside the Çaykur brand, the state tea producer that has served as main sponsor for decades and gives the club its full name. On the pitch, the journey has always been a rollercoaster between the Süper Lig and 1. Lig. Several times the fans celebrated triumphant promotions at the Yeni Rize Şehir Stadyumu, and several times they also had to endure painful relegations. Highlights included appearances in the Türkiye Kupası, where Rizespor repeatedly made headlines and even reached the cup final in 2013/14. The derbies against Trabzonspor - the great Black Sea derby - are among the most emotional fixtures in the league and deliver unforgettable images every year. Across the decades, Rizespor remained what it had always been: a passionate provincial club with a big heart and unbreakable pride.

Although Rizespor is not known for constantly hosting global stars, the club has produced and attracted a whole range of defining figures. In the early years, it was mainly local heroes who shaped the club’s identity - men from Rize itself who became icons of their hometown with the club crest on their chest. As the Süper Lig gained global attention, Rizespor also attracted international professionals. Players such as Nigerian striker Joseph Akpala, who developed a true affinity for the club, and experienced Brazilian midfield director Leo Bonatini, who at his best formed the team’s creative axis, live on in the memories of supporters. Turkish internationals also used Rizespor as an important stop in their careers, whether as a springboard or as an honorable return home. Also worth highlighting are experienced striker Ümit Karan, who brought his wealth of experience, and players such as Vedat Muriqi, who enjoyed his breakthrough in Rize before moving to Istanbul and eventually Spain. On the bench, figures such as Hikmet Karaman and Bülent Uygun shaped the club with their uncompromising working methods. All of them helped preserve Rizespor’s reputation as a fighting club that never gives up - a place where character matters more than a big name.

The Rizespor retro shirt is a true collector’s item because the club’s design history stands out so wonderfully from the crowd. In the early decades, the original green-and-yellow stripes dominated, made from thick cotton, with a simple club crest and no commercial sponsor. With the switch to green and blue in the 1970s, the iconic striped pattern emerged and remains defining to this day. The 1990s brought experimental designs with geometric patterns and striking collars, often made by Turkish brands such as Lotto and later Adidas or Nike. Shirts from the Çaykur sponsorship era are especially sought after, with their gold lettering on a green-and-blue striped background creating an incomparable look. The 2000s shirts with a more modern cut and narrow stripes are especially popular among fans, as is the 2014 cup final edition. A retro Rizespor shirt with original sponsor and clean crest is now a real rarity and a statement for any fan outside the mainstream.