The North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) Sports Association is holding a vote for sports personality of the year – and, of course, Bayer 04 players and athletes are in the running. There are five nominees in each of the six categories (Sportsman and woman of the Year, Team of the Year, Newcomer and Disabled Athlete of the Year plus the winners of the Football Felix). Five sportsmen and women from Leverkusen have been nominated including Julian Brandt as potential NRW Player of the Year. The Werkself international star does face stiff competition: The Bayer 04 winger is nominated along with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund), Leon Goretzka (Schalke 04), Lars Stindl (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Timo Horn (FC Köln).
Successful athletes and disabled athletes from TSV Bayer 04 have also been nominated. The up-and-coming middle-distance runner Konstanze Klosterhalfen, who won a silver medal in the 1,500 metres event at the European Indoor Championships last year, has been nominated as the NRW Sportswoman of the Year. Klosterhalfen won the Felix Award last year In the Newcomer of the Year category. Vanessa Low of TSV Bayer 04 was awarded the Felix in disabled sport last year.
Other nominees amongst the five best include the pole vaulter Bo Kanda Lita Baehre, who won the German Championships this year as well as a silver medal at the U20 European Championships, is in the Newcomer category as are the two disabled athletes Markus Rehm, who won gold medals at the World Cup in London in the long jump and with the Germany sprint relay team, and Johannes Floors, who picked up four medals at the World Cup in London: three golds over 200 m, 400 m and in the 4 x 100 m relay plus a silver over 100 m.
Voting is open online until 4 December: Just click on www.nrw-sportlerdesjahres.de and vote for Julian Brandt, Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Co. The lucky winners will be presented with the Felix Awards at a gala presentation on 15 December at the Mitsubishi Electric Hall in Düsseldorf.
Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
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Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
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Bayer 04 start the 2026/27 season away to third-division side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Ahead of the DFB Pokal tie on Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez spoke at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The topics: anticipation, passion, the fans’ support – and the captaincy for the new season.
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SV Wehen Wiesbaden undoubtedly envisaged a different start to the new season. After two matchdays, the Hessen side currently sit bottom of the Liga 3 table. On Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), SVWW host the Werkself in the first round of the DFB Pokal at their home ground, the BRITA Arena. It was there, in this very competition a year ago, that the club almost pulled off a massive upset. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Farid Alfa-Ruprecht is going out on loan from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Bundesliga 2 side Hertha Berlin. The pacy winger will be at the Berlin club for one year.
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