Serdar Ali Çelikler

Serdar Ali Çelikler began his career in journalism as an economics reporter before transitioning to sports media. In addition to working in print journalism, he has also served as a sports commentator on television and digital platforms. He currently continues his work as a sports commentator on a digital platform.

Life and Education

Serdar Ali Çelikler was born on March 16, 1975, in Van, Türkiye. He is originally from Kars. The youngest of seven siblings, his father, a banker, and his mother, a homemaker, he spent his childhood between the cities of Van and Elazığ. He began his primary education in Elazığ and completed his university education at the Faculty of Communication at Marmara University. During his university years, he developed an interest in the media field and embarked on his journalism career following his graduation.

Early Career

Çelikler began his journalism career in 1997 at a magazine and shortly thereafter worked as an economics reporter at Yeni Yüzyıl newspaper. After the newspaper's closure, he worked in the private sector as a media relations officer. Following his military service, he engaged in commercial activities, co-owning a kebab restaurant in Beşiktaş with his friends. During this period, he received a job offer from the Uzan Group and decided to return to the media industry.

Print Media and Sports Journalism Career

In 2002, Çelikler started working at Sabah newspaper, where he specialized in sports journalism. He served as the editor-in-chief of FotoMaç newspaper for five and a half years, later becoming the sports editor at Sabah. In 2008, he was appointed as the publishing coordinator at Ciner Media Group, and in 2009, he took on the role of publishing coordinator at Gazete Habertürk. That same year, he also began writing as a sports columnist for Habertürk newspaper.

Activities in Television and Digital Platforms

In addition to his work in print media, Çelikler has appeared as a sports commentator on various television channels. He worked as a commentator on the program Bizim Stadyum broadcast on Habertürk TV, and also provided commentary on channels such as NTV Spor, CNN Türk, and Haber Global. In 2014, he served as the sports coordinator at Show TV.

Çelikler has also been active in digital media. In 2018, he began working as a commentator on the YouTube channel of the platform Vole. His last television appearance was in 2020 on the program Kontra, hosted by Onur Tuğrul on Haber Global, where he worked alongside Uğur Karakullukçu and Candaş Tolga Işık. He currently continues his commentary work on the YouTube channels Vole and Neospor.

Personal Life

In 2012, Serdar Ali Çelikler married journalist Gülin Yıldırımkaya. The couple has a daughter named Yaz. Gülin Yıldırımkaya worked as a reporter, editor, and program host at Habertürk for 17 years before leaving the organization in 2017. As of 2023, the family has relocated to Bodrum. Çelikler commutes to Istanbul three days a week for work while leading a quieter life in Bodrum.

Award Nominations

In 2017, he was nominated in the "Sports Writer of the Year" category at the Sports Awards organized by Okan University.