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 turned in a dominant performance in a 7-0 win against fifth-tier side Sportfreunde Baumberg in their first friendly ahead of the 2026/27 season. A brace from debutant Afonso Moreira (19', 27') either side of a Christian Kofane strike (23') put the Werkself 3-0 up in the first of the two 35-minute halves in Monheim am Rhein. After the break, Victor Boniface (49', 53'), Robert Andrich (56') and Nathan Tella (67') scored for the completely changed Leverkusen team. It was therefore a successful friendly debut for new head coach Carles Martínez and his team, although the hosts also had something to celebrate despite the defeat: the match marked the inauguration of Baumberg's new ground, the MEGA Stadion.
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Attention, Werkself fans: the new Away Matchday Collection is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. It includes t-shirts, zip tops and jackets.
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Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
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A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
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