“We’re flabbergasted. We are really happy that this little initiative has proved to be so popular with the fans and the citizens of Leverkusen,” said Stefan Kießling, himself an amateur chef and also the patron of the book, about the huge success of the project. “Nobody believed at the beginning that the 3,000 copies would be sold out in three weeks.”
The idea that led to to the book came from two Bayer 04 employees: Anne Pleus (TecArena+) and Sabrina Räbsch (Marketing) initially asked colleagues to provide recipes to be able to cheer up members of staff working from home via the intranet. Pleus and Räbsch tried out the recipes, had professional photos taken and sorted the right layout. The book with spiral binding turned out to be a bestseller within a few days of going on sale both in the Bayer 04 shops and on the online shop.
It is all in a good cause. The proceeds from the book go in full to Tafel Leverkusen. €15,000 will be handed over on Friday 18 December. “The Tafel with its 7,100 people in need in Leverkusen is obviously going through a tough time due to the coronavirus pandemic. That’s why this donation is not only a real financial blessing for us but also motivates us to return to normality in the coming weeks and months,” said Dr. Adolf Staffe, chairperson of Tafel Leverkusen e. V., in paying tribute to the Bayer 04 initiative.
On the title page: The cookbook initiators Sabrina Räbsch (l.) and Anne Pleus (r.), patron Stefan Kießling (m.) plus Dr. Adolf Staffe (chairperson, 2nd left) and Reiner Endlein (deputy chair, both Tafel Leverkusen).
Bayer 04 have fond memories of their encounters with Heidenheim, including a resounding 6-0 win in the reverse fixture. Kasper Hjulmand’s side would very much like to produce a similarly clinical display as they now head to the Voith-Arena for Matchday 27 on Saturday (15:30 CET). But they come up against a team fighting for their Bundesliga lives at the bottom of the table, 10 points adrift of safety with time running out. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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The Bayer 04 Women welcome FC Carl Zeiss Jena to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Sunday night in a white retro look - and in a unique Bayer 04 ‘50 Years of Fan Clubs’ special edition jersey. In sporting terms, head coach Roberto Pätzold's team will face the Bundesliga's bottom team at 18:30 CET looking to keep their chances of third place in the table alive with six games left to play.
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Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action this weekend. Following their elimination in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, the Werkself are away to FC Heidenheim 1846 on Saturday, 21 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET) on Bundesliga matchday 27. Ahead of the clash in the eastern Swabian Alps, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the fixture and the chances of qualifying for the Champions League next term.
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A quick look at the table shows the situation at FC Heidenheim is serious. The Bundesliga bottom club are already ten points behind the play-off spot with their backs to the wall in sporting terms. With eight games left to play, avoiding relegation appears to be a mission impossible. Nevertheless, they are far from flying the white flag at the Schlossberg ahead of the clash with the Werkself this Saturday, 21 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without the two strikers in the immediate future. Caroline Kehrer suffered a torn ligament in her right knee and Amy Wrigge tore her cruciate ligament.
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