
There were enthusiastic renditions of 'Happy Birthday, Volli' amongst the Werkself squad throughout the day. Before breakfast, Kevin Volland was the recipient of lots of handshakes, embraces and congratulations – before the training session where there was a serenade for the 26-year-old. Many happy returns, Kevin!
The training camp is primarily aimed at making intensive progress in improving fitness levels. No wonder, as two weeks after returning from Salzburger Land the Werkself have the first competitive encounter of the new campaign with the DFB Cup tie (18 August) away to CfR Pforzheim. But that doesn't mean that tactics took a back seat. "We did a huge amount of tactical work in the first few weeks and now we're carrying that on at the training camp," explained Herrlich at this afternoon's press conference in the team hotel. That was repeated in the first part of the second session of the day. But then the focus was once again on the physical side of the game – with an intensive fitness work-out. No holds barred.
More good news today when Panos Retsos and Charles Aránguiz were able to return full training after their recent periods on the sidelines. And Karim Bellarabi, who was rested after suffering the worse effects of the heat, was also able to put his boots on again today – after a solo session this morning, he may be able to join in with the full training session tomorrow afternoon. Keeper Lukas Hradecky – the only member of the Werkself group at the training camp – will have to keep away from training. In the shadow of the training ground (and his team-mates) in Zell am See, the Finn completed a cardio-programme and fitness drills in the mornings.











Hats off. At the morning session, the Werkself received a vocal reception from some 30 fans from back home. In return, they were welcomed by head coach Heiko Herrlich in the stands – each with a handshake from the boss. The 46-year-old coach had a chat with the Bayer 04 fans; thanking them for their support last season. Respect indeed.



With temperatures over 30 degrees at the second training session in the afternoon, the coaching staff certainly put the players through their paces. A visit to Lake Zell provided a welcome opportunity for the Werkself to cool down. Led by birthday boy Kevin Volland, Julian Baumgartlinger and skipper Lars Bender the whole squad took the plunge in the lake. The trio led the way diving into the water from a wooden jetty with their team-mates joining in the fun. Others remained on the banks cooling their legs – as far as the 'lake monster' Sven Bender spared his team-mates... ;-)









After the final training session of last season and the extended break due to the World Cup, Julian Brandt finally rejoined his team-mates on the training ground today. It was no surprise the Germany international was in demand with the members of the media present, as well as with fans and Bayer 04 TV. The 22-year-old did not miss the chance to do the Bayer 04 Instagram story on Monday between the training sessions. Talking of which: Via the hashtag #B04inAustria (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) it is possible to keep up-to-date with the Werkself in Salzburger Land round the clock. It's worth a look.


The Werkself are finally back. On Saturday 8 August, Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign with their opening match. But there’s far more than just a double-header in store for Werkself supporters. True to the motto ‘One day. Two teams. One club’, the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium will be transformed into a world of excitement.
Show more
The Werkself continue their 2026/27 pre-season preparations with their third friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Wednesday 29 July (kick-off 15:00 CEST). Werkself-TV is broadcasting the match live and in full in a stream from 14:50 CEST...

After the children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy grilled Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch last week, another group of 20 young Werkself fans gathered at the BayArena press conference room on Tuesday afternoon, 28 July . This time, the kids directed their questions at Tim Oermann and Jonah Berghoff. Defender Oermann raved about his school days, whilst talented midfielder Berghoff revealed to the young footballers, amongst other things, who his favourite player is – and he is also at Bayer 04. To round things off, the pair naturally obliged with all requests for autographs and selfies.
Show more
Bayer 04 are back on the pitch. Following the first training sessions, the Werkself play the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 18. The match against Oberliga club Sportfreunde Baumberg kicks off at 15:30 CEST in Monheim am Rhein. Fans unable to attend the match can watch head coach Carles Martínez’s first game in charge for free via a livestream at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app, as well as on Werkself.tv (exclusively for members). Just log on and watch the games live. All the other Werkself preseason friendlies leading up to the 2026/27 season will also be streamed live for free.
Show more
Bayer 04 is redesigning the public catering at the BayArena and Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion for the start of the 2026/27 season. Together with new catering partner Aramark, processes will be developed and the service at the stadium will be improved in a targeted way.
Show more