Hygiene rules, social distancing, recommended behaviour – Dr. Karl-Heinrich Dittmar, medical director and also pandemics officer at Bayer 04, and his team have taken measures to prevent the Werkself contracting coronavirus. Training is held in groups at different times and in different locations at the training ground – the sessions are being held both at the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium as well as on the speed court, in the Werkstatt and on the training pitches. That makes it possible to maintain social distancing.
Before the start of all the training sessions, everybody has to have their temperatures taken. Five devices were sourced for the BayArena and the Bayer 04 to check the temperatures of every player, coach and member of staff. Leon Bailey shows how it’s done: Just stand in front of the camera; within seconds the temperature is read from the forehead. The device sounds a warning with a raised temperature . Training can start if there’s a green light. After the first hurdle, there are hand sanitisers located at various points across the Bay Arena.
Instead of the usual route to the dressing rooms, Kerem Demirbay and Co. now use the Mixed Zone. The distribution of kit has been moved there temporarily. The area is more spacious than the dressing rooms and that avoids any problems with collecting or returning training kit and boots.
The Werkself players get changed in different areas. In addition to the home dressing room, the away changing room and facilities for youth teams and conference rooms are also used. That guarantees the maintenance of social distancing from each other before and after the sessions. Showers after training sessions are not permitted at the BayArena at the moment.
Communal meals in the morning and at lunchtime are also off the agenda. It’s not sociable but nobody is left hungry – there is breakfast and lunch but individually packed to take away. Drinks are provided as is fruit and the dish of the day. The players can serve themselves in turn.
The fixture details for the Bayer 04 Women’s first match in the 2026/27 DFB Pokal has been confirmed: As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday morning, the Leverkusen Women will face second-tier side FC Viktoria Berlin in the first round on Sunday 27 September at 14:00 CEST.
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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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Getting in the mood for the new season together, exchanging ideas and looking ahead to the coming months: Bayer 04 welcomed partners to the BayArena for the annual sponsors season-launch event. In a relaxed atmosphere, the management, head coach and players came together with representatives from partner companies to celebrate the start of the 2026/27 season.
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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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