Turkish Football Club, Turgutluspor, on Tuesday, 8 September, 2026 made history by signing 22-year-old glamorous former women’s footballer Zeynep Mestan as their new manager, reports thegazellenews.com.
With her appointment, Mestan has now become the first woman to lead the Turkish club’s senior men’s squad, bringing the club into a new era.
Turgutluspor are looking to bounce back after being relegated to the sixth tier of Turkish football, having finished tenth in the Bolgesel Amator Lig last season.
The club’s historic first campaign under Mestan’s management is expected to start in October.
Mestan recently played for Bornova Genc Yildizlar Spor in 2025, and her latest entry into football management, comes just six weeks after she celebrated her 22nd birthday.
The club confirmed her appointment through a statement its official Instagram account on Tuesday, 8 September, 2026.
“Our club has reached an agreement with Zeynep Mestan for the role of coach in accordance with the structure and goals of the new season.
“We wish success to Zeynep Mestan, who will take the lead of the new formation and technical work initiated in our club under our red-black armor; we hope this new era will be good for our community, club and all of our fans,” the club said.
Prior to her latest appointment, Mestan has gained a massive following from her own playing career, with 21,300 followers on her Instagram account.
Mestan, who started her playing career at Karsiyaka BES Spor in 2019, has played for several women’s clubs across the Izmir and Manisa regions of the country.
It is the second relegation in as many years for the club after finishing the 2024–25 season ranked 16th in the fourth-level TFF 3. Lig.
This is also the first time that the club will have played in the Manisa Super Amateur League, after previously playing in the second tier as recently as 2001.
