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.
Schlebusch is the first district of Leverkusen to enjoy its own themed matchday in the new season. The fixture that Bayer 04 would like to use for this is the home clash against newly promoted Holstein Kiel on Bundesliga Matchday 6 (5 October, 3.30pm CEST). Find out more about the planned events in Schlebusch here.
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The Werkself entertain top Italian club AC Milan at the BayArena in the first home game in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25. The game on UCL matchday two is on Tuesday, 1 October (kick-off: 21.00 CEST). The latest information on ticket sales for this match.
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The Bayer 04 Women's team are in the Round of 16 of the DFB Pokal. The team led by coach Roberto Pätzold beat Regional League Karlsruher SC 2-0 on Sunday afternoon. A strike by Kristin Kögel (24') and an own goal from Neele Beck (72') secured a well-deserved victory for the visitors.
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The Bayer 04 Women's team are away to Regional League Karlsruher SC in the DFB Pokal 2024/25. In the second round match on Sunday, 8 September (kick-off: 12.00 CEST) head coach Roberto Pätzold is looking for a mature performance from his team at the Arthur-Beier-Stadion am Wildpark. Werkself TV will stream the match live and exclusively free.
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