"You've got the mic on, haven't you? Have you got the mic on," goalkeeping coach David Thiel wanted to know. And it didn't take long for Gerardo Seoane to answer: "Yes, of course I've got the mic on!"
MIKED UP: The 43-year-old Swiss coach willingly took part in this special experiment for the duration of the game – and he involved the Werkself fans on the touchline. Tactical advice, chatting with his fellow coaches, praise for the opponents and live commentary of action on the pitch: Seoane kept the viewers in the loop. Exclusive insights into the role of a coach at a charity match. Always committed but also with a good portion of humour.
This all happened as part of last week's charity match. The Werkself played a City of Leverkusen side in front of 2,100 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. 33 amateur players from 12 clubs were able to play in the game of their lives against Nadiem Amiri, Kerem Demirbay and Co. The city team even scored a much celebrated consolation goal in the 8-1 defeat.
The most important thing on the night was the donations raised for clubs and social groups badly affected by the floods in July 2021: An impressive €100,000 was raised. The total sum consisted of takings from the charity match as well as the fan flea market at the BayArena at the beginning of October. In addition, Bayer 04 along with main sponsors Barmenia and Premium Partner Tipwin raised the funds to the aforementioned round number.
The Bayer 04 managing directors Fernando Carro and Rudi Völler presented the cheque during the first break to the Leverkusen Community Foundation. CEO Manuel Bast echoed his thanks and was visibly moved: "It's overwhelming to see what Bayer 04, the fans and everybody involved have achieved here. The money donated will help enormously in easing the suffering of the people affected."
A round-up of the evening is available HERE.
Bayer 04 host 1. FC Köln at the BayArena in the final home game of 2025 . Today’s match on Saturday, 13 December kicks off at 18:30.30 pm. The Werkself are looking for three points against 1. FC Köln, who are without a win in four games but they do have a shooting star in their ranks up front. The Bayer 04 Volunteering Award will be presented at the derby against the club from Cologne and another fan club will be honoured for many years of loyalty under the Cross. The matchday news.
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The German Football Association (DFB) has officially recognised Bayer 04 as a women’s talent support centre. As announced by the DFB, 1 FC Köln, Union Berlin, RB Leipzig and Hamburger SV are also certified as performance or talent support centres from 1 January 2026 in addition to the Werkself.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss at Werder Bremen on the 13th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 Women suffered a setback at the halfway point of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. In a battle of the chasing pack between the teams in third and fourth, coach Roberto Pätzold's side lost 1-0 at SV Werder Bremen in a physical contest. The result leaves the Werkself on 22 points after 13 matchdays and now four points behind Bremen.
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The Bayer 04 U19s will face Villarreal CF in Spain in the 2025/26 UEFA Youth League round of 16. That was the result of the draw made at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday afternoon.
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