It was a wonderful and even artistic goal scored by midfielder Nadiem Amiri shortly after the start of the New Year last season: In the opening stages of the Bundesliga away match at Eintracht Frankfurt, Florian Wirtz delicately chipped the ball in the direction of our number 11, Amiri then – with some luck – beat Eintracht player Erik Durm and opened the scoring with his back to the net with a back-heel from six metres out (10').
No wonder that the Werkself fans voted this strike as their Goal of the Season in 2020/21. Amiri received the well-deserved award at the BayArena this week from Gert Schaub, CEO of the partner company like2drive.
Do you want to be at Bayer 04's first home game of the Bundesliga season against Borussia Mönchengladbach and get behind Nadiem Amiri and his teammates live at the BayArena but are not a season cardholder or Club member? No problem. Non-members can acquire up to 04 tickets from Wednesday 18 August from 18.00 CEST.
In line with the coronavirus protection order of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the capacity for the Werkself opening home fixture is 15,105. Away fans are not permitted for the first home game of the season in accordance with the decision of the DFL general meeting held on 14 July 2021.
Click here for the ticket shop
In view of the continuing hygiene and safety regulations due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bayer 04 have decided the Schwadbud will remain closed for the home clash with the Foals. This ruling will continue to apply until further notice for both home and away matchdays.
Anybody wishing to see Werkself matches in close vicinity to the BayArena can do that at the newly opened BAX beer garden directly opposite the stadium. The address is Bismarckstraße 127, 51373 Leverkusen and all further information can be found at bax-biergarten.de.
The DFL and the DFB launched their second year of the certificate course "Management in professional football" on Wednesday – with Bayer 04 participation again this time round: Linda Schöttler, general manager of women's football at Bayer 04, will complete the 18-month programme. Schöttler received one of two grant places financed by the DFL and DFB, "to support the career development of women in professional football."
As a member of the first course, Stefan Kießling has been on the programme since October 2020 and has said about his experiences to date: "The course is exciting, instructive and inspiring. Subjects, participants and lecturers: It all fits together wonderfully. The group get on very well, the subject matter is comprehensive but is delivered in an interesting and varied way.”
The certificate course is divided into three areas of expertise: Bundesliga know-how, sporting know-how and management know-how. The course includes subject areas such as sports law, licensing, planning squads, financial management and leadership. The aim is to help sporting management, particularly from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2, the third division and the FLYERALARM Women's Bundesliga, to prepare as best as possible for impending challenges as decision-makers in professional football.
18 August 1979 was an historic date in the Bayer 04 club history: On that day the Werkself had their first home match in Germany's top flight against Hertha Berlin on matchday two. But that was not all on that Saturday afternoon: In front of 15,000 frenetic fans at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kurt Eigl scored the first Werkself Bundesliga home goal on 19 minutes and the second strike for 2-0 from Peter Szech (28') brought the team under the then head coach Willibert Kramer even closer to the first Bundesliga home win. The match ended in a 2-1 victory against the team from the capital. Here's to many more successful encounters.
One person who has a positive personal record against Borussia Mönchengladbach is Emir Spahic. The former Werkself player faced the Foals three times between August 2013 and December 2014. The Black and Reds secured two wins (4-2, 1-0), and one draw (1-1). In total, Spahic made 49 Bundesliga appearances for Bayer 04.
The Bosnia international, with 94 caps, ended his career in January 2017 and on Wednesday he celebrated his 41st birthday. Congratulations, Emir.
Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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One ticket, two matches – and a varied programme of events, including appearances by players from the professional teams: Bayer 04 has come up with something very special for the 2026 season launch on Saturday, 8 August. From morning right through to the evening, Werkself fans can use just one ticket to not only enjoy top-class football from the Bayer 04 teams live, but also to experience unforgettable moments with the whole family through a variety of hands-on activities around the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The day will also end on a real high note: after both matches, Bayer 04 supporters will have the opportunity to interact directly with the players during joint activities and get to know them from a different angle.
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Issa Traoré is moving from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Slovakian top-flight side AS Trencin. The club has loaned the centre-back out for one year to this year’s ninth-placed team in the Slovakian league.
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