KFC Uerdingen: Concrete and chemicals

Words: Han Balk

Images: Han Balk

The story of Bayer Leverkusen is well-known. Last week, they broke FC Bayern Munich's monopoly on winning the German Bundesliga. Additionally, they will face 1. FC Kaiserslautern (a team in danger of relegation to the 3rd level), in the cup final in Berlin at the end of May, and are competing with AS Roma for a spot in the Europa League final.

However, the story could have taken a very different turn if the German chemical concern Bayer AG had chosen their second largest plant Uerdingen instead of Leverkusen in 1995.

In 1905, FC Uerdingen 05 was founded in the town of Uerdingen. Over the years, through several mergers, the club underwent various name changes, and Uerdingen became part of the much larger city of Krefeld, located in the western part of the Ruhr area.

By 1953, FC Uerdingen had merged with “Werkssportgruppe Bayer AG Uerdingen,” the local sports club of the chemical giant Bayer AG, and adopted the new name FC Bayer 05 Uerdingen. The journey upwards was embarked upon with varying success. In the German promotion-relegation standings, Bayer Uerdingen ranks within the top 10 with 5 promotions and 5 relegations.

The greatest successes occurred between 1985 and 1995. In 1985, they won the DFB Pokal, and a year later, they finished 3rd in the highest German division behind Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen.

©Han Balk/ Terrace Edition. KFC Uerdingen 05 vs DJK Adler Union Frintrop.

In 1995, Bayer decided to focus exclusively on Leverkusen for football and pulled the plug on FC Bayer 05 Uerdingen. The club from Krefeld continued as KFC Uerdingen. No, it's not the fast-food chain taking over. KFC simply stands for Krefelder Fussball Club.

The following year, the Blau-Roten finished 18th and last in the Bundesliga.

A downward trajectory began, and financially, there were also occasional mishaps. The first Russian businessman in German football made his entrance at KFC Uerdingen. Mikhail Ponomarev couldn't quite get things on track with his rubles and disappeared through the back door a few years later.

The club now plays in the Oberliga, the fifth level, and today they face DJK Adler Union Frintrop from Essen. The venue is still the famous Grotenburg stadium. Although the club has been playing in this stadium since the 1920s, the concrete colossus was clearly built for the successes of the 1980s.

Recent renovations seems never-ending, and KFC played their home games in the nearby stadiums of MSV Duisburg, Fortuna Düsseldorf, and even had to move to the ground of Sportfreunde Lotte, an hour and a half away, in 2021 due to rent arrears in Düsseldorf.

At first glance, not much seems to have changed since my previous visit with Rot-Weiss Essen a few years ago. It's more of a renovation, preserving the authentic character. The renovation mainly focuses on safety and facilities. Out of a total capacity of 34,500, theoretically around 10,000 can still be used. For now, way too many considering the current attendance figures, which this season average just above 2,000.

The majestic steep concrete Osttribune once had a capacity of 12,000 but has been closed for years. Behind the other goal lies an old school terrace, the Westkurve, a typical round German curve with plenty of crash barriers.

When kick-off occurs on Saturday at 6:15 p.m, only the main stand is fairly full. The away section on the other side is empty. The traveling Adler Union supporters sit together on the main stand. There are no extra stewards or police officers to be seen anywhere.

Midway through the first half, the majority of the stands erupt as Uerdingen takes a 1-0 lead. The class difference is evident, and the second goal seems imminent.

After half-time, the floodlights come on. Well, actually, only a handful of bulbs per floodlight come on. The renovation clearly didn't include modern LED lighting, but fortunately, the beautiful floodlights proved safe enough to be retained.

Under the dim glow of the artificial light, it's the club from Essen, 30 kilometers away, that suddenly takes the initiative. The 1-1 goal is disallowed for unclear reasons.

KFC Uerdingen is currently third in the Oberliga Niederrhein, 11 points behind league leaders Sportfreunde Baumberg, and promotion to the Regionalliga this season seems unlikely.

©Han Balk/ Terrace Edition. KFC Uerdingen 05.

You can find Han on Twitter and Instagram: @hanbalk

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