Galatasaray FC, one of Turkey’s biggest sports clubs, made revenues of 700,000 TRY ($200,000) from its esports division, according to a leaked document Turkish newspaper Hürriyet obtained.
The document lists the club’s three basketball and two volleyball teams along with its esports division. Esports is the club’s only profitable amateur section. In fact, the club doesn’t note any costs.
While no official statement exists, apparently, Galatasaray isn’t involved in maintaining the team itself. Only stating income without any costs indicates that the club gave away name and logo rights to a third-party, which operates the team.
Galatasaray fields a League of Legends roster, including EU LCS-proven support Lewis “NoXiAK” Simon Felix, who previously played for European squads like Roccat, Fnatic, and SK Gaming.
On Nov. 28 2016, Galatasaray FC acquired the Turkish Champions League spot of Victorious Ace. The club carried over one of Turkey’s longest-standing soccer rivalries to the Summoner’s Rift when it competed against 1907 Fenerbahçe Esports, which acquired SuperMassive TNG’s spot in October the same year.
After a devastating Winter Season with only 8 wins out of 28 games, Galatasaray placed last and lost its TCL spot. That said, the future of Galatasaray’s esports venture is uncertain.
