In her future position, Homburg, as with press officer Dirk Mesch, will report directly to Holger Tromp, communications director at Bayer 04.
Holger Tromp: "The challenges in professional communications in and around the Bundesliga have grown immensely in recent years and have also become more complex. For a Bundesliga club, the heart of the matter is still sport but beyond that there are increasingly other tasks including in the community. We have recognised this development by bringing in Valeska Homburg. We are very happy she has accepted and we are certain she will have a vitalising effect on Bayer 04 with her expertise and charisma."
Valeska Homburg: "I'm very grateful looking back at 20 years at ARD and I'm full of anticipation for the new challenge at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from the summer. It will be a new and very interesting job with demands and opportunities at a very professionally run club that has shown great confidence in me."
Valeska Homburg CV:
Valeska Homburg is an experienced sports journalist who has mainly worked for ARD for 20 years. She has an outstanding media network and has gained experience as a journalist including at large-scale events like World Cup tournaments as well as Summer and Winter Olympic games. She presented Bundesliga matches for two years for the former broadcaster Liga Total!. She has experience in media and communication training, speaks fluent English and has been actively involved in social issues for many years. She studied sports science at the German Sports University in Cologne.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 goalkeeper Simeon Rapsch. The Germany youth international goalkeeper has signed a long-term contract with the Werkself running to 30 June 2029. The 18-year-old joined Leverkusen from FC Viktoria Köln in the summer of 2024.
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Ken Izekor is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join third-tier side Alemannia Aachen with immediate effect. The 19-year-old centre-forward joined the club from Alemannia in 2018, and Izekor is now returning to his hometown.
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The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Bayer 04 have named Jorginho, a 1994 World Cup winner with Brazil, an official club legend. He is the second former Werkself player, after Paulo Sergio, to be accorded this special honour. For many years, the former Leverkusen defender has been deeply committed to helping people in need in his home city of Rio de Janeiro. More than 25 years ago, Jorginho launched the Bola pra Frente project, through which he uses the money he earned as a player – including during his time at Bayer 04 – to support children and young people in the favelas in particular. During a trip to Brazil lasting several days, Fernando Carro, CEO at Bayer 04, assured Jorginho of the club’s support for Bola pra Frente for at least another five years.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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