Football is the most popular sport in Turkey, where the first football league was established in 1904. Nowadays, with the support of the FIFA Forward programme, sustainable football development is becoming a reality in this huge country covering approximately 780,000 km2 and straddling two continents.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) is constructing a brand new sporting complex near the vibrant city of Istanbul, in the coastal village Riva in the district of Beykoz,.

This project was approved by the FIFA Development Committee in 2017,and is funded partially by FIFA with an amount of USD 2,250,000. This project aims to erect an innovative high-end sporting complex comprising housing, an administrative building, office and a mosque. Located in a strategic area, near the vibrant city of Istanbul, the new construction site incorporates an area of more than 20,000 m2 planned to be used for green space, structural landscaping among many other uses.

A conference room with a capacity of 750 people will be installed and equipped with sound and visual systems satisfying all the requirements of international standards. A restaurant and several conference rooms will also allow the TFF to host many social activities, exhibitions and presentations.

A rehabilitation centre for athletes, containing underwater treadmills, massage rooms, a modern fitness area and snow rooms will provide service beyond the international standards to ensure all players can prepare to reach their fullest potential. To comply with international standards in terms of sustainable development, all instruments used in the project will generate own energy or consume renewable ones without impacting the environment. Following the same theme, the architects of this eco-friendly building have added light and play of shadows in the structures that change according to the position of the sun. With a total construction area of 35.138,83 m2, the modern structure can meet the needs of the association with its positioning regarding the sun, wind and main roads on the land.

FIFA and the TFF are convinced that this new facility will impact the professionalisation of football and increase the participation of all the members of the football family, in a country of 82 million inhabitants and where football reigns supreme.