A Warm Nest for Football Referees

The new service building of the Active Football Referees and Observers Association was inaugurated with a ceremony at the historical 3 July Stadium in Erzurum. The new service building of the Turkey Active Football Referees and Observers Association Erzurum Branch was opened with a ceremony. The opening of the TFFHGD Erzurum Branch service building, constructed in the historical 3 July Stadium Campus, was quite magnificent. With the cutting of a cake, the new service building will now serve the football referees of the Erzurum region.

The opening of the new service building was attended by Erzurum Youth and Sports Provincial Director Levent Çakmur, Yakutiye District Youth and Sports Director Suat Yılmaz, TFF Erzurum Regional Director Mehmet Akif Fencioğlu, TFF Regional Coach Yunus Emre Öztürk, TFF Erzurum Provincial Referee Committee President Cihat Çelikdağ, Turkey Active Football Referees and Observers Association Erzurum Branch President Ömer Lütfü Aydın, Vice President Ozan Andaç Göral, TFFHGD Acting President Kahraman Minnet, TFFHGD Supervisory Board President Çetin Güçyetmez, TFFHGD Istanbul Branch President Ferdi Karadoruk, Giresun Provincial Referee Committee President Mürvet Sezer, MHK BHK Member Zafer Korkmaz, Former Class Referee from Bayburt Murat Türkoğlu, TFF Class Representative Fahreddin Selçuk, Erzurum Football Provincial Representative Ferit Karakoca, TÜMSAD President Muharrem Baydan, ASKF Secretary General Necdet Ürey, former presidents of TFFHGD Hakan Eygü, Hasan Eğri Çayır, 3 July Stadium Facility Manager İhsan Topaloğlu, club presidents and managers, the 3 July Stadium family, and many guests attended.

Cihat Çelikdağ, the President of the TFF, MHK Erzurum Provincial Referee Committee, stated in his speech at the opening of the new association building, “Today we are experiencing a historic day here. Our lives were spent in the old locker room. From now on, that place will remain nostalgic for us. Looking back from here, we will remember our memories spent there. Many of our provincial referees who are just starting their refereeing career today will serve in our new service building without ever wearing a referee uniform in that building. We thank everyone who supported us in the construction of this association building, especially our Association President and Super League referee Ömer Lütfü Aydın.”

Levent Çakmur, the Erzurum Youth and Sports Provincial Director, stated that the 3 July Stadium is the heart of amateur football, saying, “With the support of our ministry, we have built new locker rooms for our amateur football clubs here. Today, we are opening the new association building of our referees, which is very important for Erzurum and Turkish refereeing. May it be beneficial for all of us.”

Ömer Lütfü Aydın, the President of the Turkey Active Football Referees and Observers Association (TFFHGD) Erzurum Branch and also a Super League referee, said, “Our old service building is very important and valuable to us. We served football and refereeing by coming out of that locker room. We had to adapt to modern conditions. We are proud to have contributed a beautiful work worthy of Turkish and Erzurum refereeing here. I thank everyone who supported us and contributed to the emergence of this beautiful facility.”

After the cake cutting, the guests toured the new TFFHGD Erzurum Branch building.