About Us
I was attempting to produce soccer shoes at the time of establishment of a firm at IMC 5th Blok, to produce track suits and jerseys by Metin Türel, Necmi Tanyolaç, İslam Çupi and Tamer Güney the legendary figures of Turkish football, being the founders of LIG Sport in 1980s with the material and spiritual support of Erdogan SENAY.
This effort, which we carried out together with Turhan of Karagümrük from Dinyakoz, a veteran of the football shoes in our country in those years, was completely research-oriented. Because there had been no foreign brands in Turkey in order. The age of crampons fastened with nails with a leather sole had been over, and plastic soles and imitation branded football shoes were emerged. However, the soles of those shoes either broke in the middle of a match or were immediately eroded.
Being aware of my efforts, my big brother Erdoğan offered Lig Spor to manufacture football shoes, and upon acceptance of his offer, the production of Lig Futbol shoes was started.
At The Same Time, the Football Federation under the chairmanship of Sahir Gürkan was established and Erdoğan Şenay was appointed as the manager of the National Teams. LIG SPOR suddenly became a popular destination for all football men, as its founders were among the notable football figures and Erdoğan Senay's offices were also located in the İ.M.Ç., even the Federation had been called as Unkapani Federation.
Fevzi Aydın, the Representative of the Football Federation in Germany at the time and the President of the Coaches Association, who was aware of all these studies, researched the sole material of football shoes in Germany and brought the sample material with him and helped us to make soles that do not break and wear. Thus, League Football Shoes, which we started to manufacture, were immediately noticed and accepted in the market. Some 1st League clubs and 2nd and 3rd League Clubs also started to use our shoes. In the pictures on the sports pages of the newspapers, the footballers displayed with our shoes were in majority.
In 1982, Lig Spor partners, who also financed the shoe business, gave up this job and left the partnership due to the differences of opinion in the national team. In the new situation that emerged, I and shoes were left alone. I decided to continue the event. At the beginning of the work, we developed a lot with the great financial support of Erdoğan Şenay. Today, we are the only Turkish factory in which the shoe-uppers can be automatically with other computerized sewing machines, the sole molds are made with CNC machines and with the system capable of printing TPU soles using the most advanced technology in the world. It is our greatest pride that shoe making vocational high school students organize a technological trip to our factory and show our factory as an example.
Our sales continue in 1426 stores in every region of the country, on the internet and digital channels, with our own marketing organization. In addition, our own brands are exported to Kosovo, Macedonia, Lithuania, Finland, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. We are also very happy that we can reverse the Import-Export traffic in the shoe sector. As we prepare to celebrate our 40th anniversary, I outlined our history for you briefly. When I thought about LIG Spor Unkapanı Federation and the National Team at that time, I remembered how many memories we had, and used this opportunity to share them with you over time and our experience in the field, and most importantly, I included my experience and memories in the League Sport magazine and in my book including my Life Story and the football's anonymous heroes in the sport history in my attempt to share them with today's athletes and young sportsmen, I considered issuing them as my duty to share them with the football community and you.
Yours truly
Aydın İÇTEN