First years Bournabat Football and Rugby Club was founded in
Bornova, an upscale suburb of
Smyrna, inhabited mainly by
Greeks and Levantines, in late 1880s. The club's players also competed in other sports as every year at St George celebrations at the Bornova Stadium, such as a competition called the Panionian Games organized by
Panionios F.C.. The club co-existed in
Bornova with other sports clubs, the
Bournabat Junior Athletical Association (B.J.A.A.), consisting of young athletes, and
Athletic Union of Bornova, at the time. The first recorded match in the Smyrna area was between Bournabat and
Smyrna FC in 1894 at the
Bornova meadow. Bournabat FC was the strongest team in
Smyrna in the 1890s. This team consisted of English and French players with the Greek language used as means of communication: MJ Whithall, Ed. Charnaud, Percy Joly, Jim. R. Giraud, Pelcoc Whithall, AJ Whithall, Herbert Joly, AE La Fontaine, Edmund Giraud, Jim Gout, Hav. Joly, Th. Tarrazzi, Herbert Whithall, D. Whithall, Eddie Whithall, G. Whithall, J. Whithall. In 1889 Bournabat played against Constantinople FC and there is a report from that historical match, according to historian Mehmet Yüce from 2012: {{football box The squads were:
Bournabat Football Club: Walter E. Lawson, Charles Wilkinson, Edgar Giraud, Harry Giraud, Charles Giraud, J. Wilkinson, Richard Whittall Junior, Horald Lawson, Reginald Lawson, Louis Senn, Francis Barker, F. Le Bailly, James Joly, Godfrey Barker, Robert Wakeford.
Constantinople Football Club: Biliniski (defenders) – Ernest Thomson, Edwin Whittall, Frank Barker (midfielders) – Willie Whitall and Mountain (defensive midfielders) – J. Thomson, Fitzmaurice, Osman, Hampson, John Thomson, Reggie Whitall, H. Barker, B. Bond and Sellar (forwards). ----
1906 Olympics squad In 1906 the club won the Olympic tournament of
Smyrna against
Apollon Smyrnis and
Panionios and
its players represented the city in the
1906 Olympics in
Athens. Bournabat FC had five members of the Whittall family that won the 1906 Olympic football silver medal. Herbert Whittall, his cousins Albert, Edward, Godfrey and Donald Whittall, along with two other cousins, Jacques and Edmund Giraud and Percy la Fontiane made up the majority of the Smyrna team. Hebert Octavius was at one time the ‘manager’ of the Rugby & Football team in its early days. The club's squad reperesented
Smyrna XI in the 1906 Olympics in
Athens.
Later years In 1907 and 1908 two more clubs were founded in
Bornova, Ermis and Thiseas, both of Greek background, but none was as dominant as Bournabat FC. The club was one of the most powerful in
Smyrna during the 1910s competing with Greek and Armenian teams. No team from the area of
Smyrna had ever beat the club until 1914, when it lost to Turkish club
Altay S.K. by 3–1 in a friendly. Following the next years until 1922, the club changed its name to
Barbarian and competed in the
Smyrna football league sanctioned by the
Hellenic Athletics Federation. All of the club's players, as most of the Levantine clubs had a Greek
NOC for travel purposes.
Smyrna XI Matches Smyrna XI consisted of players from the
Smyrna area (
Apollon Smyrnis,
Panionios, Maccabi etc.) playing friendlies in Greece and
Constantinople and representing th city in the Olympics. Most of the Smyrna XI players who played friendlies in
Constantinople were from Bournabat FC. The emblem of the Smyrna XI was a
Cross pattée to show the dominance of Christianity in the city. {{football box ---- {{football box ---- {{football box ---- {{football box ---- {{football box ---- {{football box ---- {{football box ---- {{football box ---- {{football box ---- . ==Notable players==