
What's written on Stefan Kießling's shin pads? How many metres of piping are used for the undersoil heating? And what do rope access technicians see that normal fans don't? A team of photographers photographed nearly every corner of the BayArena on ten different days last season. The, in part, breathtaking aerial shots were taken using a 19 kilo drone and from a small propeller plane. The result was 16,000 photographs whittled down to 850 with 200 finally making it into the book.
"A stadium is like having a house: It's never finished and there is always something to do," explained Michael Schade. The Bayer 04 Leverkusen CEO was the instigator of this ambitious photographic project. A visual homage to this historic location that has been home to Bayer 04 players and supporters for over 60 years.
The last major reconstruction project was completed in 2009. Since then 48 rows of seats have been capped by an artistic roof structure whose 28,000 m² Makrolon layer protects the spectators from rain and gives the stadium a venerable appearance. Over 1,000 games have already been played at Bismarckstraße. And, although there are regularly 250 members of the media present, there are still many almost undiscovered nooks and crannies plus innumerable fascinating perspectives.
24 hours at the BayArena – that's the name of this illustrated book that also includes a compact overview of the history of the stadium and plenty of statistics on the club. And it is also a recommended read for anybody who also wants to know how many watts are used on lighting the pitch in the winter or how cold it is in the cold chamber at the 'Werkstatt'. In short: '24 hours at the BayArena' is a must for anybody wanting to understand the stadium.
The book has an initial run of 3,000 copies. It is available from the Bayer 04 shops as well as the Online Shop priced at €49.90.





Bayer 04 Women missed out on victory in the Google Pixel Bundesliga as they were held to a draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. Estrella Merino Gonzalez had put the Werkself ahead directly from a corner at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, before Laura Freigang levelled for the visitors as it finished all square between fourth and third on Matchday 7.
Show more
Freiburg have made an impressive start to the season, unbeaten in nine games across all competitions, with eight of them wins. Now the Bundesliga leaders come to the BayArena on Sunday to take on the Werkself, but Julian Schuster’s team will be missing their top scorer. Here’s the lowdown on our next opponent.
Show more
Bayer 04 will have to manage without attacking midfielder Martin Terrier for the time being. The Frenchman sustained a muscle injury to his left hamstring yesterday, Thursday 15 October, during the Europa League game against Polish champions Lech Poznan (4–0). Terrier is not expected to be available until late December.
Show more
Following the international break, the Bayer 04 women’s team face their next head-to-head clash in the race for a top spot in the Bundesliga. In Saturday’s home match (14:00 CEST), the fourth-placed side host third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Head coach Roberto Pätzold is well aware of the great opportunity this presents for his team.
Show more