"It's been a long time for us without football," said U19 coach Sven Hübscher following the 75-minute first session of the New Year. "It's great to be back on the pitch."
The 42-year-old coach welcomed a new member of his coaching staff on Friday: The Spaniard Erik Roqueta, most recently head of the fitness section at Mexican top-flight side Chivas de Guadalajara, took charge of the running part of the opening session as the new fitness coach. Hübscher: "It's important for us to be able to bring in a man like Erik for the fitness area. The lads will be able to take a huge step forwards."
The first U19 training session was also attended by Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes and Thomas Eichin (head of the Performance Centre). In addition, Werkself head coach Gerardo Seoane with his assistants Patrick Schnarwiler and Alberto Encinas also looked in after the final pre-match training session for the first team.
The next session for the eldest youth group at the Werkself is tomorrow (Saturday). "The first two days are for the lads to get used to the ball and the pitch again after a four-week break," explained Hübscher. After a day off on Sunday, "it will really get going again from Monday."
The first friendly for the U19s is on Saturday, 15 January, against the SC Fortuna Köln U23 team. The match against the Middle Rhine League side at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre kicks off at 11.00 CET. The first match in the U19 Bundesliga West is away to Borussia Dortmund on the first weekend in February.
The fixture details for the Bayer 04 Women’s first match in the 2026/27 DFB Pokal has been confirmed: As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday morning, the Leverkusen Women will face second-tier side FC Viktoria Berlin in the first round on Sunday 27 September at 14:00 CEST.
Show more
Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
Show more
Getting in the mood for the new season together, exchanging ideas and looking ahead to the coming months: Bayer 04 welcomed partners to the BayArena for the annual sponsors season-launch event. In a relaxed atmosphere, the management, head coach and players came together with representatives from partner companies to celebrate the start of the 2026/27 season.
Show more
Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
Show more
