"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.
From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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The draw for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 was made today, Friday 27 February: Bayer 04 face Premier League leaders Arsenal. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes sees the English team as a "top opponent" and is looking forward to meeting former Werkself players Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie again.
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After three consecutive victories, FSV Mainz 05 recently suffered setbacks against Borussia Dortmund (0-4) and Hamburger SV (1-1) in the battle to stay up. Nevertheless, the Mainz 05 performance curve has shown a clear upward trend in recent weeks. Their coach and a former Leverkusen player in particular have played a decisive role in this. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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