Çaykur Rizespor

Çaykur Rizespor
Full nameÇaykur Rize Gençlik ve Spor Kulübü Derneği
NicknamesKaradeniz Atmacası
(The Black Sea Sparrowhawk)
Short nameRizespor
Founded19 May 1953 (1953-05-19)
GroundRize City Stadium
Capacity15,558
OwnerÇaykur
Chairmanİbrahim Turgut
Head coachRecep Uçar
LeagueSüper Lig
2024–25Süper Lig, 9th of 19
Websitecaykurrizespor.org.tr

Çaykur Rizespor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club based in Rize, a city on the eastern Black Sea coast. The team competes in the Süper Lig, the top tier of Turkish football. The club was originally founded on 19 May 1953, with its initial colors being green and yellow, representing the region’s connection to tea and citrus farming. Later the colors changed to green and blue.

In 1968, Rizespor merged with two other local clubs, Fener Gençlik and Güneşspor, leading to a reorganization of the club and the adoption of green and blue as its official colors—green representing the hills of Rize and blue symbolizing the Black Sea. The club has maintained these colors ever since.

Since 1990, Rizespor has been sponsored by the Turkish state-owned tea company Çaykur, leading to the official name change to Çaykur Rizespor Kulübü. This partnership also influenced the club’s visual identity, with a tea leaf becoming the central element of the club’s crest.

Çaykur Rizespor plays its home matches at Rize City Stadium, a newer facility located near the coast.