The BayArena in magenta

From five to ten o'clock in the evening – with the exception of 19.04 to 19.06 when the stadium will be lit up in red – the home of the Werkself will light up in magenta. The World Prematurity Day on 17 November again highlights prematurity and its consequences worldwide. "We have had a partnership with the Leverkusen Clinic for many years and we’d like to show our solidarity with the doctors, nurses and parents of premature children at the clinic," said Meinolf Sprink, director of fans and the community at Bayer 04.

 At least one out of ten newborn children are premature in this country. Around 60,000 children are born too early in Germany each year. However, thanks to medical progress premature children now have good chances of survival even if they are born more than four months too early and have a birth weight of less than 500 grammes. The Clinic is the centre for premature care for surrounding hospitals in Leverkusen and Bergisches Land and with 1,600 births a year one of the most experienced maternity hospitals in the region. Over 80 premature children under 1,500 grammes – including 40 under 1,000 grammes – were cared for in the Leverkusen Clinic in 2016.