VakıfBank S.K.

VakıfBank SK

Full name	VakıfBank Spor Kulübü
Short name	VakıfBank
Founded	1986
Ground	VakıfBank Sports Palace, Istanbul (Capacity: 2,000)
Chairman	Abdi Serdar Üstünsalih
Manager	Giovanni Guidetti
Captain	Zehra Güneş
League	Sultanlar Ligi CEV Champions League
Website	Club home page
Uniforms
Home Away
Championships
4 World Championships 6 European Championships 1 CEV Cup 1 CEV Challenge Cup 1 Top Volley International 13 Turkish Championships 9 Turkish Cups 5 Turkish Super Cups

VakıfBank Sports Club (Turkish: VakıfBank Spor Kulübü) is a Turkish professional volleyball club based in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded in 1986, VakıfBank SK is currently one of the best women's volleyball teams in the world, having won the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship a record four times and the European Champions League six times to date.^[1]

From 23 October 2012 to 22 January 2014, the team held a 73-games winning streak in all official domestic and international competitions, which was acknowledged as a world record by Guinness World Records.^[2][3] The club won all 52 official games played during the 2012–13 season^[4] and all 51 official games played in 2013.^[5] VakıfBank collected all five championship trophies unbeaten in the 2012–13 season, being the only club in volleyball history to have achieved this unparalleled feat.^[2]

The team was established following a merger between two separate teams: VakıfBank and Güneş Sigorta.^[1] VakıfBank were originally an Ankara-based team but moved to Istanbul after the merger. Their name changed to VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta, VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta Türk Telekom (VGSTT), VakıfBank Türk Telekom and VakıfBank respectively.^[6]

VakıfBank won three unbeaten^{[citation needed]} CEV Champions League championships in 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2018, and are the only unbeaten champions in European Champions League history. They also placed second in 1998 and 1999 in this competition. They won the 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2021 Club World Championship, the CEV Top Teams Cup in 2004 and CEV Challenge Cup in 2008 while finishing second in the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship in 2011 and third in the European Confederation Cup of 2000.^[7]

The team is coached by Italian Giovanni Guidetti since 2008. VakıfBank won 47 games of 47 in the 2012–13 season in all competitions including the European Champions League (12 games), Turkish League (29 games), and Turkish Cup (6 games). After that season, they kept most of the players and coaching staff for the 2013–14 season with little changes: Jelena Nikolic, who took a break volleyball for one year, came back to the team^{[citation needed]} and Italian international Carolina Costagrande transfers from Chinese club Guangdong Evergrande V.C. instead of Polish spiker Malgorzata Glinka and Japanese Saori Kimura.^{[citation needed]} Glinka left the team after three great seasons and moved to her home country for familial reasons.^{[citation needed]}

From 23 October 2012 to 22 January 2014, VakıfBank won 73 consecutive victories in all official competitions, which was acknowledged as a world record by Guinness World Records. During this feat the team won an unprecedented 5 trophies including the Club World Championship, European Champions League, and the domestic treble consisting of the Turkish National League, Turkish Cup and Turkish Super Cup. Their streak was finally ended on 27 January 2014 in a game against rivals Fenerbahçe.^[2]

Since 2016, the club has played home matches at the VakıfBank Sports Palace (Turkish: VakıfBank Spor Sarayı) in Istanbul. The venue has a capacity of 2,000 spectators.^[8]

VakifBank S.K. for season 2024/2025.

No.	Player	Date of birth	Height (m)	Position	Country
1	Ali Frantti	3 March 1996	1.85	Outside hitter	United States
3	Cansu Özbay	17 October 1996	1.82	Setter	Turkey
4	Ilayda Naz Gergef	2 January 2006	1.74	Libero	Turkey
5	Ayça Aykaç	27 February 1996	1.76	Libero	Turkey
7	Kiera Van Ryk	6 January 1999	1.88	Opposite hitter	Canada
9	Caterina Bosetti	2 February 1994	1.80	Outside Hitter	Italy
10	Kendall Kipp	12 December 2000	1.98	Opposite hitter	United States
11	Sıla Çalışkan	16 December 1996	1.83	Setter	Turkey
12	Yuan Xinyue	21 December 1996	2.03	Middle Blocker	China
15	Deniz Uyanık	25 June 2001	1.95	Middle blocker	Turkey
16	Aylin Sarıoğlu	21 July 1995	1.68	Libero	Turkey
17	Derya Cebecioğlu	24 October 2000	1.82	Outside hitter	Turkey
18	Zehra Güneş (c)	7 July 1999	1.97	Middle blocker	Turkey
21	Bahar Akbay	21 January 1998	1.96	Middle blocker	Turkey
22	Selin Yener	28 July 2009	1.77	Setter	Turkey
23	Marina Markova	27 January 2001	1.99	Outside hitter	Russia

• FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship
  • Winners (4): 2013, 2017, 2018, 2021
  • Runners-up (3): 2011, 2022, 2023
  • Third place (2): 2016, 2019
• CEV Champions League
  • Winners (6): 2010–11, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2022–23
  • Runners-up (5): 1998, 1999, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2020–21
  • Third place (1): 2014–15
• CEV Cup
  • Winners (1): 2004
• CEV Challenge Cup
  • Winners (1): 2008
• Women's Top Volley International
  • Winners (1): 2008

• Turkish Women's Volleyball League
  • Winners (13): 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
• Turkish Cup
  • Winners (9): 1995, 1997, 1998, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
• Turkish Super Cup
  • Winners (5): 2013, 2014, 2017, 2021, 2023
  • Runners-up (5): 2010, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022

• 1986–1999: Güneş Sigorta
• 1999–2009: VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta
• 2009–2011: VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta Türk Telekom
• 2011–2012: VakıfBank Türk Telekom
• 2012–present: VakıfBank

Players written in italic still play for the club.

• Turkey women's national volleyball team
• Turkish women in sports
• Perfect season#Volleyball
• VakıfBank

• Official website