CITY GO GLOBAL: TURKEY

As many of our supporters will be aware, the support we receive comes from further than just the city boundaries. We have supporters based all over Gloucestershire, the UK and even worldwide. From Australia to Austria, Germany and beyond, the reach of Gloucester City is vast.

But there is one particular supporter who has followed the club since 2012, Serhat from Istanbul. Although some may be more familiar with his Twitter account, @GCFC_TURKEY.

We spoke with Serhat to understand more about his support for the club and why he follows City.

"Hello, I am Serhat from Istanbul, and I have been following Gloucester since 2012."

"It started back in 2012 when I was bored taking my hometown club from the local league to the Champions League on Football Manager. So I was on a search for a lower league team from another country to start a different game. I found out that England was very competitive for me. Every team has a chance to surprise in the FA Cup, and the different cups for non-league or league teams make opportunities for an enjoyable game. The structure is just fascinating to me, even the small districts have their own leagues or cups. When I looked at the National League, I found Gloucester with its good old Tigers logo. I remembered the Gloucester name as one of my relatives lives there. So I chose them to play a FM12 career. But it turned from just a FM12 save to a passion for me."

"My favourite memories were qualifying for the First Round of the FA Cup against Leyton Orient in 2012/2013. I think I can accept it as one of the successes for the club in recent years. Also as Wigan won the Cup that year, it was surprising in every way. Also the next season we also qualified for the First Round again against Fleetwood. Second was last season's run. We were first and the leader of the league, it was sad that things had to be cancelled because it was great for the Club. We were on a brilliant run and it was heart breaking that they voided and nullified the league. And after the horrible floods which devastated Meadow Park, Gloucester City were able to pass every obstacle on its way and returned to the new stadium. I think this is the best moment for every fan."

"When I was a kid, I supported Fenerbahce and my hometown Zeytinburnuspor. They were both in the Super League in the 90's. However since 2007, I now follow my hometown club Zeytinburnuspor. They are the only club to have participated in every level of Turkey's League structure. Since 2011 they have been in the amateur league and we are still struggling to win promotion back to the Professional League which starts with the 3.Lig (4th division). Some off the pitch things affected the club's performance, incomes and economical status. Even though we have an old school 16k seated stadium, our fans still support the club like the good old days."

"In Turkey, the majority like and support the strong teams such as Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool etc. I have some followers who are interested in English non league football or National League football. I will be very active on Twitter this season so I believe I will gather some more Turkish Gloucester City Fans."

"I love the reaction from Gloucester City fans to what I do, absolutely. The fans are so welcoming, both countries are passionate about football. I am delighted when they first noticed me and also being followed by the official Twitter, devoted fans and Gloucester folks. Thank you for making me feel so welcome."

Thank you for Serhat for taking time to talk to us, and we hope that he enjoys following the club this season! For those of you who don't, be sure to follow @GCFC_TURKEY on Twitter!

Teşekkür ederim ve şehrin haydi!

(Photo's Credit: @GCFC_Turkey)