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.
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Austria or Kosovo? Claudia Wenger or Lumbardha Misini? Only one of these two Bayer 04 women will see her dream of competing at the World Cup in Brazil (24 June to 25 July 2027) live on beyond the next two weeks. From a Leverkusen perspective, the two direct clashes between the Werkself players as they battle for a place in the second play-off round stand out during the upcoming international break. For several other players, the chance of a World Cup place is also at stake. Bayer04.de provides an overview of the women’s international call-ups.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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