Were you interested in any licensed sports before you started playing football?
No, I wasn't interested. I only played football with a license.
How did you become interested in football?
My brother and cousin were playing on the same team in the amateur league. Since the football field was close to our house, I would go to watch the matches. From there, I would get curious and play with them. When our house was close to the football field, I would always play with the boys, so I continued to be curious about it. With the guidance of my primary school physical education teacher Cevdet Kavzak, I joined the football school founded by my teacher Memiş Eker. As the only girl among the boys, I made progress by training with them and came this far.
What do you see as different in women's football compared to men's?
Since women are more open to learning than men, they have higher abilities and therefore they pick up everything more quickly.
Do you think the transition to professionalism will increase the quality of women's football?
Of course, it increases it in women as much as it increases it in men.
There seems to be less bad cheering in the stands. How is the situation on the field? Are women more respectful to their rivals?
Of course, tension arises quicker than men because women are ambitious and very touchy, but it's an instantaneous thing. Afterwards, we apologize to each other respectfully. As for cheering, since the player on the field is a woman, of course bad cheering is very rare.
Is the appreciation of women's football in a country one of the ways to make women more valuable?
Being valued not only in football but in everything is a way to become valuable.
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL IS PROGRESSING FAST
Where do you see women's football in Turkey after 5 years? Do you think there is rapidly growing interest?
I think it will be in much better places. It is currently making very good progress. Although women's football has not yet been valued as much as men's football, I think it will be as valued as men's football in the future. There has been a rapid interest in women's football for the last 2 years and I believe it will grow even more.
What is the importance of women's football in terms of the place of football in society?
There is nothing that women cannot achieve, as long as we want it and pursue it without giving up. At the same time, let's work hard so that there will be more to come, football is not just a men's game. We play a big role in destroying the perception that football is a men's game, and in this way, we are a very important part of the football perception in society.
What is the impact of women's football on women's social life?
There is even a community, mostly in eastern cultures, that is against women going to school, let alone playing football. I am also Eastern, but even though I am Eastern, my family supported me and never hindered me. I did not disappoint their trust and showed that I was successful in many places, and in this way, when other people around us saw this situation, it caused their perceptions to change. In this way, we are paving the way for many people by breaking the perception among people around us that women do not study or women do not play football. And they see that women can do this and succeed, and they get out of this perception. This situation is gradually spreading everywhere, so many people with dreams can benefit from this situation. While we are in the competition, there are spectators, and since we are female athletes, they try to be careful not to use slang in their chants.
In the context of media and sponsorship, especially on TV, what should be done to make women's football more watched and find fans? What are your ideas on this subject?
If many well-known broadcasting organizations took the initiative as sponsors, more would surely follow, but unfortunately this is not the case. This has just started to happen in the last 2 years. If it continues like this, if we get more sponsors and our voices are heard, I'm sure we will be watched as much as the men.
What would you like to say about equal opportunities in women's football?
Unfortunately, we do not have as much equality as men, which is a sad situation for us.
Apart from the Women's Football Department, what other work would you like to be done and which units would you like to be opened in order to increase the support for women's football in the Turkish Football Federation? Do you find TFF's support for Women's Football sufficient?
No I don't find it. They only work diligently and meticulously in the super leagues. They constitute a sufficient study for the remaining leagues. They do not provide sufficient information to the clubs and they constantly postpone the seasons and start them late. If the federation works meticulously and diligently for the clubs in each league on this issue, I am sure we will be in better development. Personally, I would like the federation to have a broadcasting department for each league of women's football.
Do you think the unity, solidarity and respect for national and spiritual values in Turkish Culture can make Turkish Women's Football a brand in the world?
Of course, it brings a brand not only in women's football but also in every aspect for our country.
