Arbeiter-Turn- und Sportbund

The Arbeiter-Turn- und Sportbund (ATSB or Workers' Gymnastics and Sports Federation) was a national German sports organization active between 1893-1933. The organization actively promoted leftist political views built around

Sport in late 19th century

football

.

In the late 1920s the federation had a membership of 770,000 and fielded over 8,000 football teams throughout Germany. Between 1920-32, the ATSB staged its own national football championship separate from that of the DFB (Deutscher Fußball Bund, en:German Football Association). It also held German Workers' Gymnastics and Sports Festival and hosted or took part in international events including the Workers' Olympiad.

By 1930, the federation had a membership of 1.2 million, however, it splintered when the

clubs within the working class.

After the rise to power of the

in 1933, all sports associations with left-leaning or faith-based affiliations were disbanded. The memberships of these clubs were dispersed or forced into mergers with sides more ideologically palatable to the regime and the clubs' assets were expropriated. The KG was broken up in February 1933, followed by the ATSB in May.

See also

• Nationalsozialistischer Reichsbund für Leibesübungen
• Category:German workers' football clubs

References