The 2002-03 Süper Lig was the 45th edition of top-flight professional football in Turkey. The season celebrated the centenary of Beşiktaş J.K., who became eventual champions. Moreover, Malatyaspor qualified for the first time in a European cup competition after a 2–0 away win at Turkish Cup winners Trabzonspor combined with Fenerbahçe's draw at İzmir with relegated Göztepe, 1–1, despite being ahead in the first half. They are the first team from Eastern Anatolia to play in UEFA competitions.

Kocaelispor is a Turkish football club based in İzmit, Kocaeli. They were founded in 1966 and played in the top level between 1980–1988, 1992–2003 and the 2008–09 seasons. Their best finish was in 1992–93 season, where they finished fourth. They have won the Turkish Cup twice, in 1997 and 2002. On 8 January 2015, in front of 20,152 spectators, Kocaelispor set a record for the highest attendance at a Turkish Regional Amateur League encounter.