Club ProfileAnnex

Steckbrief – Facts, figures and milestones

In February 1903, Wilhelm Hauschild wrote a letter to the bosses of Bayer AG. Signed by 170 workers, he requested permission to found a company sports club. The corporation agreed, and on July 1, 1904, the Turn- und Spielverein 1904 der Farbenfabrik, formerly Friedrich Bayer Co. Leverkusen (TUS 04 for short) was established. Its first chairman was a senior Bayer employee — the corporate DNA was embedded from day one.

From 1949 to 1975, the club oscillated between various leagues below the professional tier. In the 1974/75 season, Bayer Leverkusen qualified for the promotion play-offs to the 2. Bundesliga. In a group with Arminia Hannover and Union Solingen, the team secured promotion — beginning the slow but steady climb that would eventually lead to the Bundesliga in 1979.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen play their home matches at the BayArena, known as the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion until its renaming in 1998, with a capacity of 30,120. The fact that Bayer Leverkusen do not violate the "50+1" rule in German football — which prevents a single investor from holding a voting majority — is based on the founding of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bayer AG, predating the rule.

14. Siehe hierzu die Dossiers über den VfL Wolfsburg und RB Leipzig.↩