Bayer and Sports
History
Image: Gymnasts Making Bayer Leverkusen a byword for sporting achievement, or to turn Leverkusen into the "citadel of sport", it has now become what was actually never the company's intention.
The idea of establishing a company sports club came from the employees themselves at the beginning of the 20th century and arose simply from the desire to use their leisure time constructively. The management readily agreed to the request for a sports club to be set up, because Bayer's plant was isolated in a "no-man's land" between the Cologne suburb of Mülheim and the village of Wiesdorf, with no infrastructure and no facilities for the creative use of leisure time. Thus, it was on July 1, 1904 that the "Turn- und Spielverein der Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Co." was founded - the first works club of any kind to be established in Germany.
The idea of establishing a company sports club came from the employees themselves at the beginning of the 20th century and arose simply from the desire to use their leisure time constructively. The management readily agreed to the request for a sports club to be set up, because Bayer's plant was isolated in a "no-man's land" between the Cologne suburb of Mülheim and the village of Wiesdorf, with no infrastructure and no facilities for the creative use of leisure time. Thus, it was on July 1, 1904 that the "Turn- und Spielverein der Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Co." was founded - the first works club of any kind to be established in Germany.
Image: Bayer football team 1936 As the company grew, sports became increasingly important: the initial commitment to purely recreational sport almost inevitably led to participation in sport at the championship level, as Bayer athletes naturally strove to improve their performances. The company readily responded to its employees' demands for an ever wider range of sporting activities, and eventually developed into one of the biggest funders of sport in Germany.
Today, Bayer's sports clubs in Leverkusen alone have a membership of about 18,500. Three of the company's other German plants - in Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Krefeld-Uerdingen, and Dormagen - also have their own sports clubs. Altogether, there are 27 sports clubs with about 50,000 members, all of whom practise and compete wearing the Bayer cross.
Today, Bayer's sports clubs in Leverkusen alone have a membership of about 18,500. Three of the company's other German plants - in Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Krefeld-Uerdingen, and Dormagen - also have their own sports clubs. Altogether, there are 27 sports clubs with about 50,000 members, all of whom practise and compete wearing the Bayer cross.