Sporting director Rudi Völler did not take long to think about helping OFC and he was happy to give the green light to the friendly. All profits from the match will go to the hosts. Rudi Völler started his professional career at Bieberer Berg in 1977 after signing for OFC from TSV Hanau as a 15-year-old in 1975 and he still maintains a connection with the club. “I was always a Kickers fan. I used to cheer on Erwin Kostedde when I was a teenager,” said Völler.
A very special link
The relationship between Bayer 04 and Offenbacher Kickers is not only very special because of Rudi Völler. The supporters of both clubs have a fan friendship dating back 35 years. The origins of this very close link between OFC and Bayer 04 date back to the 1980s. The two teams met in the DFB Cup in October 1981 with OFC winning 5-2. Shortly after that, the Offenbach fans joined forces with Bayer 04 supporters against fans of rivals Eintracht Frankfurt who were very unpopular with the OFC faithful.
That link has continued up to now. Since then, fan representatives of both clubs have visited each other. In 2012 the Werkself took part in the official opening fixture at the new Sparda Bank Hessen Stadium. And there are also very friendly exchanges between the two clubs on social media platforms. There are constant mutually friendly posts on Twitter. The hashtag #BayerundderOFC is often used.
Get your tickets now
Tickets for the benefit game are available from the OFC fan shop, the ticket hotline on 0049 (0)1803 019010 as well as from OFC ticket outlets (a list of ticket outlets is available at https://www.lms-ticket.de/ofc/ajax.aspx/text2.html).
We celebrate a fan friendship fest
The idea came about to close the visitors’ section for this match to allow Leverkusen fans to mix with home support in the Kickers home blocks to celebrate the 35-year-old fan friendship. In keeping with the motto: “We are celebrating a fan friendship fest.”
The match is a great event bringing benefits to OFC and the unusual fan friendship. OFC invites all Bayer 04 fans to enjoy this special match alongside the Kickers fans. The visitors’ stand (blocks 14 to 17) remains closed on this night to celebrate the 35-year-old fan friendship! There are no opponents in this match on the pitch or in the stands. The main, Henninger and the Waldemar Klein stands are open.
Nationwide stadium bans apply
Please note: As announced by OFC on their website, nationwide stadium bans apply on Tuesday night.
“In general, nationwide stadium bans apply for all friendly fixtures. This applies to home and away games. Anyone attending friendly fixtures subject to a current stadium ban is liable to the same legal consequences as attending a competitive fixture. We therefore ask fans to heed this advice.”
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-1 win against FC Köln on the 18th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen are strengthening the squad for next season with the addition of Serbia U19 international Aleksa Damjanovic. The 17-year-old centre-forward is set to join the Bundesliga club in the summer from Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade. Damjanovic, who also has Austrian citizenship, has signed a long-term contract.
Show more
Bayer 04 have secured the services of Serbia U19 international Aleksa Damjanovic for next season. The 17-year-old centre-forward will move from Red Star Belgrade to Leverkusen in the summer on a long-term contract. The 1.98 metre tall striker is regarded as one of the most promising attacking talents in Europe and has recently impressed with strong performances at both first team and youth level. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes and director of football Kim Falkenberg particularly praise his finishing, heading ability and physical presence in the penalty area.
Show more
The Bayer 04 eSports team made a great start to the fifth and final showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26! The Leverkusen players picked up nine points in the first three of six matches in the online preliminary round. Victories against VfL Wolfsburg, Eintracht Braunschweig and SpVgg Greuther Fürth not only put the Black and Reds in a good position to progress to the offline round. Valuable points were also collected for the overall table and direct entry into the final event of the German Club Championship.
Show more
