Werner Wenning, who brought Rolfes back under the Bayer Cross as chair of the shareholders committee in 2018, said: "Simon Rolfes has understood in a special way how to combine his experience and qualities as a player with the demands of management. He has great expertise in the game and an outstanding eye for talent in the global market but he also has an enormous work rate and the unmistakable DNA of Bayer 04. We are very happy that Simon Rolfes will continue to put these qualities to the service of Bayer 04."
Simon Rolfes said: "Bayer 04 was and is a part of my life. I've learned a lot here and I'm happy that I can contribute to the further development of the club together with a lot of professional and committed colleagues. We have achieved a lot in recent years and gained enormous quality and not just on the pitch. Beyond that, Bayer 04 have a lot of what a demanding, modern club hungry for success need to offer. I really have fun working in such professional environment. So I'm very happy to be able to continue together along this exciting path."
Simon Rolfes joined Bayer 04 as a player in 2005 from Alemannia Aachen. Up to the end of his playing career ten years later, he made 377 appearances for the Werkself, scored 49 goals and played a leading role in the team as captain. During his time at Leverkusen, Rolfes made his debut for Germany earning 26 caps and taking part in the 2008 European Championships. After ending his playing career, he completed the two-year UEFA course 'Master for International Players' (MIP). Rolfes returned to Bayer 04 in 2018 to take up the post as head of youth and development and he took over from Jonas Boldt as sporting director five months later. Rolfes was the successor to Rudi Völler in the role of sporting managing director on 1 July 2022.
Bayer 04 preparations for the 2026/27 season are in full swing, with the first friendly now under their belts. Although there are still around seven weeks to go until the first Bundesliga home game in early September, there is already huge anticipation for the start of competitive action for head coach Carles Martínez’s team at the BayArena. For the Bundesliga home matches of the new season, here is the latest information regarding the first phase of single-match ticket sales. The tried-and-tested early-bird phase remains in place. From 23 to 31 July, tickets for matches will go on sale on weekdays; the early-bird phase ends on 5 August at the latest – provided tickets are still available by then.
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Like last year, Bayer 04 Women held their summer training camp in Rieden. Coach Roberto Pätzold gives his assessment of the time in the Upper Palatinate, discusses the integration of the 11 new players and the unusual team building measures, gives his thoughts on the friendly and looks ahead to the start of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga season in August.
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Just in time for the start of the summer holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Werkself will hold another open training session on Tuesday 21 July. The session at the BayArena is scheduled to start at 11:00 CEST and will again be available to watch in a live stream. The fans who are there can look forward to a very special surprise.
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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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