Homegrown Katharina Prinz (left in photo) will play for FFC Recklinghausen in the Regional League West next season. Prinz started her playing career at Bayer 04 in 2009 and in 2013/14 she stepped up from the youth team to the senior squad before moving on to second division SV Meppen in 2016. The defender returned to her roots during the winter break in 2017/18. Prinz made a total of 30 appearances for Bayer 04.
Karoline Heinze (photo: centre) will be hanging up her boots. The 26-year-old, who joined Leverkusen from the then first division club FF USV Jena two years ago, has suffered from a thigh injury since the start of the season. Due to resulting back problems, she only made two appearances this term – out of a total of 19 games in a Bayer 04 shirt. Heinze is not completely giving up sport – she is studying Sport, Media and Communication at the German Sports University and now wants to focus on her master’s degree.
Saskia Meier came to Bayer 04 from Bundesliga club SC Sand in 2017. After relegation at the end of the 2016/17, she played a significant role in being promoted straight back to the the top flight in the next year. The defender played a total of 30 games for Leverkusen. The destination for the 23-year-old after the summer break remains to be confirmed.
Linda Schöttler, head of the women’s football section at Bayer 04: “We would like to thank all three players for their time here under the Bayer Cross and their commitment to our team. We wish them all the best for their future careers both sporting and professional.
While most of the players from the Bayer 04 Women's Bundesliga squad are enjoying their summer break, four players are again away on international duty. Three of them are in action in the UEFA Women's Nations League and three are away with Germany junior teams.
Show moreWelcome, Erik ten Hag! Bayer 04 have appointed the 55-year-old Dutchman as the new head coach on a contract to 30 June 2027. Bayer04.de provides a closer introduction to ten Hag who recently coached the English club Manchester United and above all had great success at Ajax.
Show moreBayer 04 were in the Bundesliga title race well into spring and also progressed to the latter stages of the DFB Pokal. Ultimately, the team were unable to defend either title, but the Werkself did set a new Bundesliga record in their final game of the season, having bid an emotional farewell to Xabi Alonso and Jonathan Tah at the BayArena the previous week. It was the end of an era, as bayer04.de looks back on the 2024/25 season, with part two looking at January through to May.
Show moreWith the clash at Mainz 05 on the 34th and final matchday of the 2024/25 Bundesliga, another eventful season came to an end. The Werkself finished as runners-up in second place and can be proud of the joint third-best points tally in the club's history. Bayer04.de takes a look back - firstly at the period from the summer until the end of the year, in which the Werkself had to deal with high expectations and fluctuated between impressive performances, squandered leads and absolute top form.
Show moreBayer 04 will carry out important optimisations and maintenance work on the club's digital platforms from 09:00 on 26 May until likely 30 May.
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