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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 midfielder Jonah Berghoff ahead of schedule. The Germany U18 international has signed professional terms with the club to 30 June 2030.
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With sixth place at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 ended a season in the top third of the table for the ninth time in a row. While the Werkself were narrowly eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Arsenal, the Black and Reds reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third season in succession. As in previous years, you once again have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app up to and including 11 June.
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With 46 points in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga, the Bayer 04 Women’s team once again broke the previous season's club record and ended up in fifth place - 15 wins is also a record. As in previous years, you now have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is open exclusively to Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app by 11 June.
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The guests at the Scala Club in Leverkusen were amazed when host Reiner Calmund suddenly brought the Managing Director of Sport at Bayer 04, Simon Rolfes, and record Werkself appearance maker Rüdiger Vollborn onto the stage. As part of the show "An Evening with Football & Friends", organised by long-serving Bayer 04 managing director and general manager Calmund, the two surprise guests drew plenty of applause - and provided great entertainment in exciting conversations about the past and future.
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