Nurcan Çelik

Nurcan Çelik — Biography

Nurcan Çelik was one of the pioneers of Turkish women's football: a goalkeeper who rose to the senior national team, founded her own club and became the first manager of Galatasaray's re-established women's team. She died in Istanbul on 14 February 2026, aged 46, and was buried in her home province of Artvin.

She took an interest in football through her admiration for Roman Kosecki, the Polish striker who played for Galatasaray. In 1995 she entered the trials at Bursaspor and began her career there; at her coach's insistence, and against her own wish, she became a goalkeeper. She went on to play for Gemlik Zeytinspor, Zeytinburnuspor and Maltepe Yalıspor. When the women's leagues were suspended in 2003 she signed a six-month contract with VfL Wolfsburg, but her residence permit was not extended, so she only trained there before returning to Turkey. In 2020-21 she returned to the top flight after twelve years with Kireçburnu Spor. She debuted for the under-19 side against Russia on 17 November 1997 and for the senior side in a friendly against Israel on 3 July 1999.

In 2010 she took over the players of the folded Zeytinburnuspor and founded the women-only İstanbul Nurçelik Spor; in 2013-14 it merged with Akdeniz Spor Birliği to become Akdeniz Nurçelik Spor, and she served as its president. She took charge of Galatasaray's women's team in 2021 and parted ways with the club on 10 August 2022.