Betriebssportgemeinschaft (GDR)
Encyclopedia
A Betriebssportgemeinschaft (Company sports community) was an organizational form of sports clubs in East Germany.
After World War II, the Allied Control Commission had dissolved all existing sports structures, including the dissolution of all existing sports clubs on the basis of directive 23, dated 17 December 1945. This directive only allowed the establishment of sports organizations on a local level. In consequence, sport competitions were only permitted on a local level with loosely organized Sportgemeinschaften (sports communities) in cities and on Landkreis
level. Only in the fall of 1946 were football resumed on Land
level. The competition was organized by the youth organization Free German Youth
(FDJ).
After the first football championship in the Soviet Occupation Zone had been held in the summer of 1948, it became clear that the loose organization would not be sufficient to organize league play. On an initiative of the Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (FDGB, the central labour union of East Germany) and FDJ, the Deutscher Sportausschuß (DS) was created as an umbrella organization for sports in the Soviet Zone. Among its first tasks was the re-structuring of the sport organizations that was tackled with the credo "rearrangement based on production". With participation of the FDGB the existing Sportgemeinschaften were replaced by newly-created Betriebssportgemeinschaften (BSG) in production and trade companies. The so-called Trägerbetriebe (supporting companies) would take over tasks of financing and logistics for their respective BSG, with the union chapter responsible for the day-to-day management. The BSG would be tasked with organizing a large spectrum of sports activities and usually would offer a range of different sports. Each BSG had its own administrative board with a chairman and heads for the different sports sections. Financial means were provided by the Trägerbetrieb. and often the infrastructure would be built by the companies as well.
To further optimize the system, the DS reorganized the BSGs again in April 1950. Central sports associations were created according to the union structure and all BSGs within such a central association were given a standard name (e.g. BSG Rotation Dresden with its Trägerbetrieb VEB Sachsenverlag, a publishing company). These central associations were tasked with promoting the BSGs in their field. This was done by organizing internal competitions within the central associations and through influencing athletes moving between individual BSGs. The following 16 sports associations were founded:
With the ongoing centralization of East German sports through the DTSB, founded in 1957, the central sports associations lost their importance and were hardly noticed by the public. Among the largest and most powerful BSG were Wismut Aue, Stahl Riesa, Chemie Leipzig and Motor/Sachsenring Zwickau. Chemie Leipzig
were the only BSG to win the East German football championship after the creation of the sport clubs
in 1957.
The nationwide sports associations Vorwärts and Dynamo were outside the BSG system. They were sports organizations of the Nationalen Volksarmee and the Volkspolizei, respectively. The local Armeesportgemeinschaften (ASG) "Vorwärts" and the Sportgemeinschaften "Dynamo" were their subunits.
After German reunification
and the ruin of many Volkseigener Betrieb
companies the organizational and financial basis of most BSGs vanished. weg. Only some were transformed directly to a Eingetragener Verein
. Most Betriebssportgemeinschaften were dissolved and replaced by newly-founded sports clubs.
After World War II, the Allied Control Commission had dissolved all existing sports structures, including the dissolution of all existing sports clubs on the basis of directive 23, dated 17 December 1945. This directive only allowed the establishment of sports organizations on a local level. In consequence, sport competitions were only permitted on a local level with loosely organized Sportgemeinschaften (sports communities) in cities and on Landkreis
Districts of Germany
The districts of Germany are known as , except in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein where they are known simply as ....
level. Only in the fall of 1946 were football resumed on Land
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
level. The competition was organized by the youth organization Free German Youth
Free German Youth
The Free German Youth, also known as the FDJ , was the official socialist youth movement of the German Democratic Republic and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany....
(FDJ).
After the first football championship in the Soviet Occupation Zone had been held in the summer of 1948, it became clear that the loose organization would not be sufficient to organize league play. On an initiative of the Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (FDGB, the central labour union of East Germany) and FDJ, the Deutscher Sportausschuß (DS) was created as an umbrella organization for sports in the Soviet Zone. Among its first tasks was the re-structuring of the sport organizations that was tackled with the credo "rearrangement based on production". With participation of the FDGB the existing Sportgemeinschaften were replaced by newly-created Betriebssportgemeinschaften (BSG) in production and trade companies. The so-called Trägerbetriebe (supporting companies) would take over tasks of financing and logistics for their respective BSG, with the union chapter responsible for the day-to-day management. The BSG would be tasked with organizing a large spectrum of sports activities and usually would offer a range of different sports. Each BSG had its own administrative board with a chairman and heads for the different sports sections. Financial means were provided by the Trägerbetrieb. and often the infrastructure would be built by the companies as well.
To further optimize the system, the DS reorganized the BSGs again in April 1950. Central sports associations were created according to the union structure and all BSGs within such a central association were given a standard name (e.g. BSG Rotation Dresden with its Trägerbetrieb VEB Sachsenverlag, a publishing company). These central associations were tasked with promoting the BSGs in their field. This was done by organizing internal competitions within the central associations and through influencing athletes moving between individual BSGs. The following 16 sports associations were founded:
| Sports association | Union section |
| Aktivist | Mining |
| Aufbau | Construction industry |
| Chemie | Chemical industry, glass and ceramics |
| Einheit | governmental and municipal administration |
| Empor | Trade and food industry |
| Fortschritt | light and textile industry |
| Lokomotive | Reichsbahn |
| Medizin | Healthcare |
| Motor | Engineering, vehicle construction, metalworking |
| Post | Postal system and telecommunications |
| Rotation | Polygraphic and publishing industry |
| Stahl | Metallurgy |
| Traktor | Agriculture |
| Turbine | Energy |
| Wismut | Uranium mining SDAG Wismut The SAG/SDAG Wismut was a uranium mining company in East Germany producing 230,400 tonnes of uranium between 1947 and 1990. In 1991 it was transformed into the Wismut GmbH owned by the state of Germany which is now responsible for the recultivation of the former mining and milling areas... |
| HSG Wissenschaft | Universities and colleges |
With the ongoing centralization of East German sports through the DTSB, founded in 1957, the central sports associations lost their importance and were hardly noticed by the public. Among the largest and most powerful BSG were Wismut Aue, Stahl Riesa, Chemie Leipzig and Motor/Sachsenring Zwickau. Chemie Leipzig
FC Sachsen Leipzig
FC Sachsen Leipzig was a German football club from Leipzig, Saxony. The roots of the club go back to 1899 and the founding of Britannia Leipzig. Following World War I, a 1919 merger with FC Hertha 05 Leipzig created Leipziger Sportverein 1899...
were the only BSG to win the East German football championship after the creation of the sport clubs
Sport club (GDR)
Sport clubs were institutions to promote competitive sports in East Germany.They were created beginning in 1954 as part of a programme to promote excellence in East German sports. Some sportclubs were part of the Sportvereinigung Dynamo and the Armeesportvereinigung Vorwärts . The biggest sport...
in 1957.
The nationwide sports associations Vorwärts and Dynamo were outside the BSG system. They were sports organizations of the Nationalen Volksarmee and the Volkspolizei, respectively. The local Armeesportgemeinschaften (ASG) "Vorwärts" and the Sportgemeinschaften "Dynamo" were their subunits.
After German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
and the ruin of many Volkseigener Betrieb
Volkseigener Betrieb
The Volkseigener Betrieb was the legal form of industrial enterprise in East Germany...
companies the organizational and financial basis of most BSGs vanished. weg. Only some were transformed directly to a Eingetragener Verein
Eingetragener Verein
Eingetragener Verein is a legal status for a registered voluntary association in Germany and Austria. While any group may be called a Verein, registration as eingetragener Verein holds many legal benefits because a registered association may legally function as a corporate body rather than just...
. Most Betriebssportgemeinschaften were dissolved and replaced by newly-founded sports clubs.