Bangu,aworking-classteam

One of the best-known relationships between a manufacturing company and a football club was the case of Bangu Athletic Club, founded in 1904. Initially, the club was restricted only to foreign-born workers who held management positions, but, over time, it ended up including in its ranks of members and players workers of other backgrounds. In a short time, Bangu became a truly suburban club. Thanks to the presence of Black and mixed-race players, the team was nicknamed the “mulatinhos rosados” (“pink little mulattos”).

Image description: This is an old photograph of a group of men wearing football uniforms. The men are arranged in two rows: in the front row, they are sitting with their legs crossed, while in the back row they are standing, some with their arms crossed. They are all wearing striped shirts and white pants. The image is in black and white, and there is no visible text in the picture.

The criteria for selecting the worker-players were based on three aspects: professional performance, length of service at the company, and personal behavior. The idea followed this logic: if someone was a good professional and had good behavior, they would be more capable of following the rules of the game and knowing how to deal with the team. The factory trusted that a good player would be a good worker, and vice versa.

Upon being chosen to join the Bangu Athletic Club, the worker automatically got a lighter workload and went to the cutting room to cut fabric, since he needed to rest and save energy for the games. In addition, they left an hour before the other employees to train on the field next to the factory. The team's star players were protected by the board and were almost always quickly promoted.

The team's success was immense, and in a short time it became better known than the factory itself. Thus, Bangu stands out from other Rio de Janeiro clubs for being the precursor of the democratization of access to football practices, the first working-class team in Rio de Janeiro, and for having given working-class players privileges and job security.

Image description: This is an old photograph of a football stadium. On the left side, we see an extensive green area with bleachers. In the center, there is a football field with a goal net. On the right, there is a large industrial building with several windows and a tall tower. The sky is cloudy, and in the background, we see some mountains.

In 1906, more precisely on May 13, the factory's managing director, João Ferrer, upon learning that Bangu Athletic Club would play its first friendly match, built the club's first stadium, since at that time the team trained in a space within the company.

The inauguration of the new field resulted in a victory for Bangu over Riachuelo, by 2 to 0. In 1936, the Rua Ferrer bleachers were set on fire, and the stadium had to undergo renovations, being reinaugurated in May of the following year.

Image description: This is a sepia-toned postcard image showing an urban area with several buildings and green spaces. From left to right, we see a series of buildings and residential areas. In the center, there is an industrial complex with several rectangular structures. In front of this complex, there is a large green space with paths and a circular structure in the middle. To the right, more buildings and residential areas extend toward the background of the image. In the lower corner, there is an inscription reading "89-PPEEEX-FABRICA BANGU-E 20".

The field stayed with the club and its fans until the land was sold, in 1944. From then on, the Rua Ferrer stadium, with its luxurious stands and English lawn, would live on in the fond memory of players and regulars. In 1947, the Campo de Moça Bonita was opened.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph of a stadium and a house. At the top, we see a stadium with side stands and a central lawn. On the left, there is a small area with trees and a smaller football field. Below, there is the club house, with a light-colored facade and evenly spaced windows. The text mentions the "Estádio Proletário do Bangu A.C." and was written by Levy Kleiman and photographed by Newton Viana.