Berk Güven, who was born in 1995, has quickly established himself as a powerful force in Turkish American football. Since 2013, he has been an important member of the METU Falcons, demonstrating his everlasting love and talent for the game. He played on different sides of the field, receiver, quarterback, cornerback, safety, punter and returner. Berk's career reached new heights when he was named to Türkiye's national squad, demonstrating his devotion and excellence on the field. Berk also made substantial contributions to the Istanbul Rams, solidifying his place as an important figure in Türkiye's American football environment. Today, we had the honor of sitting down with Berk Güven to discuss his incredible career, experiences, and future goals in American football.
What inspired you to start playing American football, especially in a country where it's not widely recognized like other sports?
I have always been a sports person and was looking to join a sports team when I first entered university. After meeting with the team representatives at the orientation, we played catch with each other and I really liked the basic concept. I had decided to join for the tryouts. Long story short, not too long after, I saw that this sport was completely different from any other sport I have ever played. Not only the physical part of it but the technical, mental parts, and especially the bond between the teammates was out of this world.
Can you share your journey from playing for METU Falcons to representing Türkiye's national team and playing in the European League of Football.
I started playing American football for the Falcons in 2013. I started my career very light weight and got injured right away, not even when playing American football. I have attended all the training and got better everyday just by watching the training and listening to the coaches. At that time, we used to have American coaches which I believe helped me a lot to build my foundation correctly. With all the passion and not even being able to participate in training my first year, I worked like crazy in my first year’s offseason with my American coaches and at that time QB1. The second season we had more than 10TDs in 6-7 games in the league and the journey began. After 2016, the Falcons decided to go with a run-based offense. It was not easy to be selected to the national team while playing for a run-based offense, but I knew that I deserved to be there. After making it to the national team I had seen that there is a lot more room to improve since I was a star in my own team but just a regular player in the National Team. That mentality made it so I never stopped wanting to be better, and I believe I was successful because of that. In 2017 I played as QB1 because of the personnel shortage for the Falcons, even that year I was invited to the national team as a WR. The ELF was something else, since I have participated in all the national team games that have ever been played for Türkiye, and I had a great performance at the ELF Tryouts for the Rams, it was almost certain that I was going to get an invite. But the problem was the team was in İstanbul, whereas I was working in Ankara which is quite far from İstanbul so there was almost no way that I could join the team training. In the first couple of weeks, I only attended some of the weekend training with the Rams, and after the games started, I was only joining the games, repeatedly watching films over and over, and having my personnel training on my own. Even with this, thanks to my coach's trust, I have earned some good playing time with the Rams. Last year against Ireland I played as CB1 for Türkiye in the IFAF European Championship game. It has been a long but amazing journey full of surprises. This year I would love to keep being an important asset for both the Türkiye and the Falcons.
Making it to the national team is a significant achievement. Can you walk us through the emotions you felt when you first received the call-up?
It was incredible! All the work and pain coming back to you with a meaningful purpose was just incredible. I was out with my friends on the street, and we started dancing and partying like crazy on the street, shouting at random people stating that I was invited to the national team. I was really eager and couldn't stop dreaming about the camp until it started.
Can you share some memorable moments or highlights from your career? Are there any moments or achievements in your football career that you're especially proud of?
I am really a Team Player more than a Me Player. Almost all my memorable moments are about team achievements or losses. I will definitely not forget the game that we lost against the Rams in the finals in 2019. Also in the same year, we lost another final in the University League, which was the last college game in my career. Being selected for the national team is a memorable moment as I have mentioned above. Lastly, the 2 ELF games, one is the Dragons game that we won in Istanbul in the last second, and the away Hamburg game that we lost in overtime were definitely some games to remember. The Hamburg game was especially special for me since I had my first TD in the ELF in that game, and another one was called back because of a holding penalty.
How does the level of play in Türkiye compare to your experiences in the European League of Football?
I believe the level comparison differs for different positions. I would say specifically for Linebackers, Running Backs and maybe Wide Receivers, Türkiye can definitely keep up with ELF. But for the other positions, especially for Quarterbacks and Defensive Backs, there is a huge difference. Also, coaching-wise, I would say the number of coaches who are deeply analyzing and knowing the sport is quite limited in Türkiye. Overall, I would say there is a huge potential in Türkiye to be able to reach the ELF level in the long run, but currently ELF is two levels higher. Both organizationally and player quality-wise.
As a veteran player, how do you adapt to different coaching styles and team dynamics?
After being involved this much in the sport, it became quite easy for me. I like to read rule books, search for new tactics, watch games, and stuff in my own spare time as a hobby. So, when it comes to following the rules of a team, learning a playbook that I am going to play, and stuff like that, I spend all my time and effort on them. Also, I use all the time that I have in the training efficiently. If I am on the sideline not participating in anything, you can always see me watching players who are actively doing stuff on the field, analyzing, and taking notes on what and how they do it.
What are the main challenges you face as a football player in Türkiye, both on and off the field?
For both on and off-field I would say the main challenges are all financial. People in Türkiye can only meet with American Football at the age of 18. They have to spend 2 years to get used to the sport, then another 2 years to get better at it. After these 4 years, they are getting closer to graduation and work-life balance is becoming an issue. Plus the social life, family, romantic relationships, etc, it is not really easy to have enough spare time for a sport that does not contribute to your life financially. Apart from all these, finding good quality equipment, even basic things like gloves and footballs can become an issue both financially and logistically. I am not even talking about Shoulder Pads and Helmets. We do have good quality facilities all over Türkiye for field and gym training, but quantity is also another issue, sometimes it might get hard to find an available and sufficient facility to train.
How do you balance your work life and football? What are your main challenges and how do you overcome them?
It is almost impossible to balance it perfectly. I almost always feel like I could've done better for one or another. I used to have a work-life that covered most of my week. I was able to attend all the training but missed a lot of extra gym and film sessions. Now that I have changed jobs, I am working away for some time and coming back to the city and when I come back I have a lot of free time. Now I am not missing out on my extra gym and film sessions at all, but I am missing out on some training, even some games due to this new job. Again, it is almost impossible to perfectly balance this out, especially if you add other factors like social life, family, etc. I am just doing the best I can.
What advice would you give to aspiring American football players in Türkiye who dream of reaching the same level of success as you have?
Consistency is the key to everything. It is a little bit cliche, but it is true. Talent may differ for each player, but that talent will only create the difference for the first one or two years. Anyone with an insistent character who can use every single opportunity to work and get better consistently can easily achieve the same level of success as I have, if not more. It is also important to know that these opportunities are not always given but sometimes must be created.
Looking ahead, what are your goals and ambitions for yourself as a player, both with METU Falcons and potentially on the international stage again?
I am currently all over the place, coaching both our women's flag football team and American football team, playing for the American football team, as well as being a referee for the lower-tier leagues. I would love to keep every aspect of this game in my life as long as I can. At this point, the only limitation I have is my age not letting me play the sport on a professional level. I am currently 29, will definitely be in the best shape that I can be as long as possible, and stay in the competition for the national team roster, at least for 4-5 more years hopefully let's say. The Turkish national team has a lot of potential to be successful in the European Championship. Hopefully, we will achieve this potential and I will be a part of this team. In the middle term, I have a dream of playing for the flag football national team as well, and in the long term, I would love to coach the Türkiye national team for both sports.
Berk is amazing, thanks