Alfred-J.-Meyers-Platz

Alfred Joseph Meyers (1895-1956) was a Frankfurt industrialist and president of FSV Frankfurt from 1929 to 1933. He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1895 into a German-Jewish family. In 1916, he married Alicia "Liesel" Gertrude Dahlsheimer from Frankfurt. Their children Norbert and Edwin were born in 1922 and 1927 respectively. They attended the Philanthropin. The family lived in the Westend and attended the liberal Westend Synagogue there. Alfred Meyers founded "Enameline Werke" in Höchst am Main in 1917 together with his brother William. The company produced cleaning agents, in particular oven polish. In 1927, Mayers became treasurer of his favorite club, which at the time still played on Seckbacher Landstraße. Two years later, he took over the office of president, which had previously been held by the physician Dr. David Rothschild (1875-1936), also of Jewish faith. Despite the effects of the global economic crisis, Meyers succeeded in building a new stadium for FSV. The stadium on the Bornheimer Hang was opened in 1933 and was one of the most modern stadiums in Europe at the time. By the time FSV became Southern German champions in April 1933, Meyers had already been forced out of office. In 1938, Alfred Meyers and his family fled to New York, where they lived after the Second World War. On the occasion of FSV Frankfurt's 50th anniversary in 1949, Alfred J. Meyers came to visit the Bornheimer Hang. In his speech, he looked back on his years as club president: "I can state without arrogance that my love for the soccer club was just as fanatical as that of the many thousands who never missed a game and remained loyal to the club, following the black and blue colors through thick and thin. My enthusiasm for the club was solely the strong echo of the love and admiration shown to me by members and supporters." FSV Frankfurt posthumously appointed Alfred J. Meyers and David Rothschild as honorary presidents. In August 2024, the Alfred J. Meyers Square at the north-western entrance to the Ostpark and a memorial wall were inaugurated. Grandson Andrew Meyers and his wife Lilian Meyers were also present. Andrew Steiman, Rabbi of the Budge Foundation, blew the shofar on this solemn occasion. The naming of the square was initiated by the FSV fan project.