"The work of Heinz Heitmann made an important contribution to Bayer 04 being an established and successful member of the Bundesliga family. We are grateful for his decades of commitment and his close association with the club," said Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO.
Heitmann started working in Leverkusen in 1976 as the youth director and manager at Bayer 04. Shortly after that, he became the managing director of the overall club SV Bayer 04 with its football, boxing, fist ball, and ball and athletics sections. And in 1979, the year of promotion to the Bundesliga, Heitmann took over the post of head and director of the football section at the request of the then president Dr. Jürgen Schwericke.
In Bayer 04's first five years in the Bundesliga, Heinz Heitmann was the general manager responsible for almost everything at the club: Finance and budget planning, contract and transfer negotiations, licensing, stadium administration, pitchside advertising, training camps and much more besides. A man for all seasons who played a big part in the increasing professionalisation of the club structures in the first years in the Bundesliga.
When he ended his time as general manager in 1984, Heitmann carried on working in the Bayer works. Of course, he remained attached to football and Bayer 04. In 1992, he took over the voluntary role of managing the club's Veterans team, which was mainly made up from the promotion side of 1979. "Our work together lasted through the decades and they all remained Bayer lads," Heitmann once said. He led the Veterans team up to 2006 before handing over the reins to Michael Kentschke.
A regular visited to the stands at the BayArena and holder of an honorary season card, Heinz Heitmann watched Werkself home games until recently. He passed away in the night from Wednesday to Thursday at the age of 82.
On Matchday 9 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign, the Werkself welcome last season's runners-up VfB Stuttgart to the BayArena. The game kicks off at 20.30 CET on Friday, 1 November. The key information on ticket sales for this match.
Show moreOn Matchday 11 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign, the Werkself welcome 1. FC Heidenheim to the BayArena. The game kicks off at 15.30 CET on Saturday, 23 November. The key information on ticket sales for this match.
Show moreTwo Sunday fixtures for the Bayer 04 Women: The German Football Association (DFB) announced on Monday morning that the Werkself's Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga games on Matchdays 9 and 10 against 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam and RB Leipzig will both be played on a Sunday at 14:00 CET.
Show moreWerkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-2 draw against Holstein Kiel on the 6th matchday of the Bundesliga 2024/25...
Show more