Works team

A works team (sometimes factory team, company team) is a sports team that is financed and run by a manufacturer or other business, institution or organization in a broad sense. Works teams have very close ties with their main sponsor and owner, and usually incorporate its logo, its name, or both, in the sport club or team logo. Sometimes, works teams contain or are entirely made up of employees of the supporting company. In motorsport, a works team or factory team is a manufacturer that builds its own car or motorbike including the engine. When they meet certain criteria, college and university teams competing in professional leagues and championships have been considered works teams as well. Many works teams, factory teams or student teams were started to give staff or students some exercise and entertainment and eventually morphed into professional teams without actually having workers, factory workers or students in their squads, but the moniker or label works team, factory team and student team remained unchanged to describe them due to their historical background, including the founders, official name, nicknames and the crest they use.