Who is Dr. Erden Or?

Profile

Biography

Dr. Erden Or represents one of Turkish football’s most academically grounded, well connected and structurally experienced sporting leaders. With a Doctorate in Business Administration and Organization from Istanbul University and a specialized Football Management Diploma from the UEFA Academy and the University of Lausanne, he combines executive governance, academic rigor, and field-level football expertise into a rare hybrid profile.

Currently serving as Academy Coordinator at Acıbadem Sports Academy, Dr. Or is responsible for designing and implementing education programs while providing consultancy services to clubs and federations. His work reflects a career-long commitment to structured football development, leadership education, and institutional transformation.

His work reflects a career-long commitment to structured football development, leadership education, and institutional transformation.

Before joining Acıbadem, he held several high-impact executive roles within the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). As Director of the Referees Academy (2023–2024), he redesigned referee education systems, developed talent identification and retention strategies, and implemented performance measurement frameworks. Previously, as Technical Coordinator of the Football Development Department (2019–2023), he oversaw the restructuring of coaching education programs, youth development initiatives, and coordinated futsal and beach soccer national structures.

Dr. Or also played a key role in the creation and management of the Sporting Director Certification Program, reinforcing professional standards within Turkish football leadership. His earlier work in women’s football, both domestically and as a UEFA Women’s Football Expert (2013–2018), contributed to structural growth models, league organization, and long-term development planning.

Beyond federation leadership, Dr. Or has been deeply involved in education. He has lectured at multiple universities on subjects such as Sports Marketing, Club Management, Sports Economics, and Organizational Leadership, reinforcing his belief that modern football governance requires academic foundation alongside practical execution.

modern football governance requires academic foundation alongside practical execution.

A UEFA A licensed coach with additional certifications in match analysis and scouting, Dr. Or represents a profile that bridges theory and practice. His career reflects consistent engagement with structural reform, educational design, institutional leadership, and sustainable football development. He has also acted as a coach educator in the UEFA Pro, UEFA A, UEFA B, Tutor, TFF Match Analysis, and TFF Scouting courses.

In a football environment increasingly shaped by governance quality, educational standards, and long-term planning, Dr. Erden Or stands out as a leader who understands that sustainable success begins with institutional clarity.

sustainable success begins with institutional clarity.

Key Insights

• Dr. Erden Or combines executive football leadership with strong academic foundations.
• His work has focused on educational design, structural reform, and sustainable football development.
• He has led projects across referee development, coaching education, women’s football, and academy strategy.

Our Exclusive Interview with Dr. Erden Or

Education, Governance and Sustainable Football Development

You have worked at federation level, in UEFA advisory roles, and now lead educational structures within Acıbadem Sports Academy. How has this multi-layered experience shaped your philosophy of football leadership?

I characterize my 16-year tenure at the Turkish Football Federation as a comprehensive journey through every facet of football’s developmental evolution. Throughout this period, I operated both as a strategic executive and a hands-on practitioner across the core pillars of the game. From coach education and youth player development to grassroots initiatives, women’s football, and refereeing. This allowed me to translate my domestic expertise into a global vision through pivotal roles in UEFA and FIFA projects and specialized international programs.

This multi-layered experience has fundamentally anchored my philosophy of football leadership. I consider my greatest competitive advantage to be the ability to analyze challenges and needs on a macro-strategic scale while delivering precise, micro-operational solutions. Having actively served within every department has instilled in me a unique professional reflex: to move beyond theoretical analysis and produce comprehensive, actionable results that resonate with every gear in the system.

Today, this remains my primary mission as I lead the educational structures at Acıbadem Sports Academy: bridging high-level international standards with the practical realities of local dynamics. To me, leadership is the art of identifying structural gaps in developmental processes and the capacity to bridge them through a holistic, 360-degree perspective.

At the Turkish Football Federation, you were responsible for restructuring coaching education and referee development systems. What structural weaknesses do federations most commonly face, and how can leadership transform them into long-term strengths?

I assert that the most fundamental structural challenge facing federations is sustainability. Strategic initiatives launched through extensive effort are often discarded abruptly following electoral changes. I can provide two remarkable examples:

First, we established a Referee Academy, backed by significant investment, to create a reliable, scientific, and objective development model. Our primary objective was to recruit young individuals interested in refereeing, provide them with high-quality training and development opportunities, and establish a fair developmental pathway which is most importantly.

Second, we launched the National Club Academies project to standardize youth development in Turkey! A multi-faceted initiative designed to train academy directors and coaches in the Süper League and TFF 1. League, followed by a comprehensive institutional audit of the clubs.

Regrettably, both projects were discontinued shortly after a change in the federation presidency, without any assessment of their impact or potential.

The second critical issue is meritocracy. When appointments from executive management to operational units are made without the requisite expertise, it creates a paralysis that hinders organizational effectiveness. I firmly believe that sustainable success in football is not dependent on individuals, but on resilient institutional systems and a merit-based workforce.

The Sporting Director Certification Program was one of the most significant professionalization steps in Turkish football. Why is executive education essential in modern football governance?

Football management is a distinct field of expertise. Success in the corporate world does not automatically guarantee success in football administration. Specialized education in this field is vital; however, it must be followed by granting qualified professionals the authority and strategic responsibility they deserve.

The Sporting Director Certification Program was a milestone in this regard. A key driver in bringing this project to life was Fatih Terim, who served as the Football Director of the TFF at the time. Thanks to his vision, we launched an initiative whose impact is now clearly visible, as many of our graduates currently hold key positions across major clubs.

The continuity of such programs is essential. Beyond training new participants, it is crucial that alumni remain current through CPD (Continuous Professional Development) programs specifically focused on football management. This ensures they can keep pace with the rapidly evolving global dynamics of the industry, from financial fair play and digital transformation to strategic talent identification.

At Acıbadem Sports Academy, you are designing and implementing education programs for clubs and federations. What distinguishes a high-performance academy model from a traditional football school?

Fielding youth teams for competition is not the same as having an academy. A true academy model begins with a defined football philosophy and a strong organizational culture. Traditional football schools are often driven by participation and revenue; elite-standard academies, however, are distinguished by a strategic focus on long-term player development.

An authentic academy requires a convergence of three pillars: fit-for-purpose facilities, a strong technical and administrative organizational structure, and a scientifically-grounded player development plan.

At Acıbadem Sports Academy, we reject generic, pre-packaged templates. Our approach is to analyze a club’s existing framework and deliver tailor-made solutions that align their current reality with elite performance standards. We apply the same principle to our services for federations regarding national youth development; our solutions are meticulously designed to reflect the unique conditions of the country, the federation, and the clubs.

You have combined academic research, including your doctoral work on service quality and fan satisfaction, with practical football leadership. How important is academic rigor in shaping modern club and federation strategies?

Bridging the gap between theory and practice is essential. There are highly respected academics who produce valuable research and train quality professionals for the game. Naturally, these individuals hold a privileged position in the football world as effective practitioners.

However, we also see many studies that fail to reflect the actual realities of football. Unfortunately, these works often serve to meet academic promotion criteria rather than providing functional insights for the game.

As an academic, I always ask a simple question: ‘How does this research translate into practice, and what specific need does it actually meet?’ For me, academic activities only find their true value when they deliver meaningful practical benefits.

Modern football is inherently a multidisciplinary field; it requires a convergence of diverse expertise. Ranging from economics and administrative sciences to sports sciences, from law to medicine. In today’s industry, the analytical discipline provided by academia is an indispensable guide for solving complex challenges that experience alone can no longer address and for making data-driven, rational decisions.

Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for football development in Turkey and internationally? Where do you believe the biggest structural improvements must occur?

For the long-term development of football, we need models where on-the-pitch performance and off-the-pitch management act as mutual catalysts. Sporting success is fragile without economic stability; conversely, financial growth remains unsustainable without results on the pitch.

Youth development is the cornerstone of this strategy. Producing homegrown talent solves a technical problem on the field and an economic one in the books. It is the purest application of the reinforcement model I advocate.

We must also look beyond the 90 minutes. By leveraging football’s global appeal, we can unlock value in sectors like gaming, tourism, fashion, and education. It is about transforming the game into a multi-dimensional platform.

The future belongs to strategically structured, hierarchical networks. Exclusive domestic and international partnerships grounded in mutual benefit and clearly defined roles will be the key differentiator. This collaborative framework must extend to national associations and international confederations to streamline the flow of knowledge and resources.

My vision boils down to a single concept: ‘Coopetition’. It means competing with everything we have on the pitch (competition), while collaborating as strategic partners to elevate the game itself (cooperation).

FAQ

Who is Dr. Erden Or?

Dr. Erden Or is a Turkish football leader and academic currently serving as Academy Coordinator at Acıbadem Sports Academy.

What is Dr. Erden Or known for in football?

He is known for his work in coaching education, referee development, women’s football, academy strategy, and sustainable football governance.

What is Dr. Erden Or’s long-term vision for football development?

He advocates a model where sporting success, economic stability, youth development, and strategic cooperation work together to drive sustainable growth.