"Our concept is working: Young players capable of developing get trust, playing time and responsibility. They can show what they can do at a very high level. The result this year is the Champions League," said Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes in commenting on the award.
The second and third places were taken by the two second division clubs Holstein Kiel (9,354 minutes; €1.28 million) and FC Magdeburg (8,273 minutes; €1.13 million). The payments reflect the number of minutes played by U23 players in the Local Player category. They must have been registered with a German club for at least three years between the ages of 15 and 21. The promotion fund is made up of 2% of national media income (for the 2018/19 season that was more than €22 million). All the minutes played in professional league games by Local Players are taken into account up to the season of their 23rd birthday. Players from abroad must have been registered with the German Football Association (DFB) before their 19th birthday.
Falko Götz was appointed at the start of the week to look after talented youngsters in the transition between the youth teams and the first team. The 57-year-old played for the Werkself from 1984 to 1988 (115 appearances, 26 goals) and he won the UEFA Cup in his final season under the Bayer Cross. After ending his playing career in 1997, he started working as a coach in the youth section at Hertha Berlin before later training their pro squad. Most recently, the former East Germany international coached the former second division club FSV Frankfurt.
After just two points from their last four games, the situation has become trickier for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the bottom third of the table. Only three points separate the Foals from the relegation play-off spot. Coach Eugen Polanski's team is under pressure ahead of the home game against the Werkself on Saturday, 7 February (kick-off: 18:30 CET). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Calling all eSports fans: On Saturday, 21 February (from 16:00 CET), the Werkself Wildcard Cup will take place at XPERION Köln (Hansaring 97, 50670 Cologne). Interested EA FC 26 amateur players will have the opportunity to win attractive prizes and a place in the VBL Open Play-offs by WOW. The play-offs are the final preliminary stage of the VBL Grand Final by WOW, the tournament for the German individual championship and, alongside the club championship (VBL CC), the most important sub-competition in the German eSports scene. Read on for information on registration.
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At its first general meeting on 5 February 2026 in Frankfurt am Main, the Frauen Bundesliga FBL e.V. made key decisions regarding the future direction of the Women’s Bundesliga. The meeting was based on the results of the negotiations with the German Football Association (DFB) over the past few weeks.
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Another efficient performance from the Werkself in the 3-0 home win against FC St. Pauli saw them reach the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third time in a row, and it was not the only record set on what was a successful evening. It meant head coach Kasper Hjulmand was delighted to "still be in with the chance of winning something". Like the coach, however, the ambitious Edmond Tapsoba also stated that he wanted to keep "improving" bit by bit: "We'll continue to give our all, no matter who we come up against." The Werkself review of the clash.
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