Two board members from each of the professional clubs signed the cooperation agreement at the German Football Museum in Dortmund on Monday afternoon. Bayer 04 were represented by Fernando Carro, chairman of the board, and sporting managing director Rudi Völler. NRW Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul explained after the meeting: "We are dealing with a problem that has existed for decades. Intensive exchange of information and close cooperation are the keys to less violence in football."
The alliances are to be set up and individually administered in each of the venues by the club and the local police authorities according to agreed standards. Regular information, joint exercises, discussions and dedicated contacts form part of all the agreements.
In addition to Bayer 04, the following clubs have agreed to the alliances: Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, FC Schalke 04, FC Köln, Arminia Bielefeld, SC Paderborn 07, VfL Bochum and Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Background to the co-operative approach is combating violence relating to football. During the 2018/19 season, 276 people were injured and 1,615 prosecutions were launched in relation to football matches in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
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Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
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One day after the successful DFB Pokal first round tie at SV Wehen Wiesbaden (4–0), the mood was understandably really good: Over 400 Bayer 04 supporters gathered on Sunday, 23 August, for the annual fan club meet-up at the BayArena and got in the mood for the new season through direct and informal discussions with Bayer 04 management, head coach Carles Martínez and Werkself players.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-0 win at RB Leipzig on the 1st matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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