After a two-year enforced break due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bayer 04 have now finally been able to continue the traditional partnership with the Leverkusen Sports Association in the established way: As this year's patron of the Birkenberg Soccer School, Werkself player Florian Wirtz did not fail to provide attention to the girls and boys taking part at the end of the summer holidays. In a relaxed round of questions at the SC Leverkusen ground, the 19-year-old Germany international gave up lots of time for the children on Wednesday afternoon and he was rewarded with enthusiasm and beaming faces. A total of 450 children have taken part in football courses over the past six weeks.
After the Werkself had a day off on Monday, the players under head coach Gerardo Seoane were fully focused on preparing for the top match in Dortmund the next day. There was a tough shift in the glaring Leverkusen sunshine: In addition to sessions on the speed caught inside the BayArena there were press-ups on the pitch, intense passing drills, six vs six matches in restricted space and more.
The Werkself completed a slightly changed but equally intense session in front of a large number of fans today and they certainly worked up a sweat in tropical temperatures of 34 degrees. While Lukas Hradecky, Andrey Lunev and Niklas Lomb worked separately at the start of the 90-minute plus session, the Black and Red goalkeeping trio joined their teammates for the final practice game. Head coach Seoane again and again interrupted the match in training and gave instructions or had discussions with players and his fellow coaches.
Amine Adli worked one-on-one with fitness coach Markus Müller, and Timothy Fosu-Mensah also trained on his own. The two Werkself players completed a range of sprints and running drills.
The Werkself Women's team are also hard at work with a large number of sessions this week. On Monday, head coach Robert de Pauw held the first training session of the week with many others following in the next few days. A trio consisting of Anna Klink, Kristin Kögel and Elisa Senß headed off to Frankfurt on Tuesday for the DFB Media Day. Their teammates focused on defensive work in the training session in Leverkusen.
On Saturday 6 August (kick-off: 14.00 CEST) the Bayer 04 Women's team play top Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in a friendly before the players led by de Pauw travel on two days later to a five-day training camp in Kaiserau by Kamen in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Congratulations, Anne. The youth goalkeeper at Bayer 04 has won the award for the best save of the month for July. In the friendly against the Mexican first division Club América Femenil (0-1), which the Werkself Women played last month on the #Bayer04MexicoTour, the 17-year-old keeper kept her team on terms with a sensational save. You can watch her fine save again HERE.
Happy birthday, Achim Feifel. The Baden-Württemberg-born coach today celebrates his 58th birthday. The graduate sports teacher focused on coaching women's teams early on. After coaching top clubs in international women's football such as Hamburg SV, the Russian club FC Rossiyanka and FFC Turbine Potsdam, Feifel took over the posts of coach with the Bayer 04 Women's team in 2019. Since this year he has worked for the Werkself as the sporting director of women's football.
Bayer 04 today remember Werner Röhrig who would have been 88 years old today (Wednesday). The former Werkself captain, who was under the Bayer Cross for many years, was born in Leverkusen and died in his home town at the age of 76. During his time as a professional football player, Röhrig only played for one club: Bayer 04. After the former midfielder ended his playing career, he spent several years on the board of the football department as well as the senior committee of TSV Bayer 04. Röhrig also helped build an archive on large parts of the history of Bayer 04, which he also helped to write for nine years (1955-1964) – a true Leverkusener who will never be forgotten.
With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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A special surprise: during the preview for the 'Fierté Burkinabè' documentary about Edmond Tapsoba, Bayer 04 directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes announced Tapsoba's contract extension until 2031 together with the centre-back. He then spoke to Werkself-TV about his time in Leverkusen so far and future ambitions...
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This evening was deeply moving: At a really special setting, Bayer 04 exclusively presented the specially produced documentary ‘Fierté Burkinabè’ ("Burkinabe Pride") about Edmond Tapsoba on Tuesday. For the preview at the BayArena, the parents of the Werkself player and other close companions travelled all the way from his African homeland Burkina Faso. The 45-minute film shows Tapsoba's extraordinary career from his beginnings in Ouagadougou to Leverkusen as well as the work of his foundation "Fondation Edmond Tapsoba", with representatives from Burkina Faso also present. Fans can watch the documentary free of charge on Werkself TV and YouTube from Wednesday night at 20:00 CEST.
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