The demand for the shirt was so high that the Bayer 04 web shop was unavailable at times. The Werkself would like to apologise for that and particularly to fans who were unable to get through.
The proceeds from the joint campaign by Bayer 04, Barmenia and JAKO were originally due to benefit the Leverkusen project 'Bayer 04 im Quartier'. However, given the Russian attack on Ukraine and the great suffering of millions of people, it is now been decided to donate the money to the campaign to support Ukraine.
"We are very happy and grateful that all the partners in the project have immediately agreed to the idea of using the proceeds for another purpose. Because of the war in Eastern Europe, people are dying every day, countless are being injured and millions are fleeing. Being able to help is hugely important and an urgent requirement," said Bayer 04 CEO Fernando Carro.
The special shirt for the derby is available as a strictly limited edition: Only 1,930 shirts – a reference to the year the city of Leverkusen was founded – will go on sale. The cream-white kit has a number of special elements. That includes the Bayer 04 logo in the collar of the shirt as is the JAKO logo. In addition, the Barmenia logo is replaced on the chest by the coat of arms of the City of Leverkusen.
"For Barmenia, the principle of sustainability has firmly been part of our company policy for many years. That particularly includes the acceptance of social responsibility. We are therefore very happy to release our space on the Bayer 04 shirt. We were happy to do that to help 'Bayer 04 im Quartier'. But the world has changed. Russia's attack on Ukraine has shocked us deeply. Our thoughts are with the people who now need our help," said Barmenia director Frank Lamsfuß. In addition to Barmenia, our partner FLOKI has also given up their advertising space on the special shirt.
Proceeds will be donated to the Leverkusen Community Foundation (Bürgerstiftung Leverkusen). Funds will be distributed to regional organisations supporting Ukrainian refugees in association with the City of Leverkusen.
The first women, children and teenagers from Ukraine have arrived in Leverkusen. The City Council is currently preparing for the arrival of further refugees. The immediate need is to provide people with somewhere to live, clothing, food, and essential daily provisions.
The Leverkusen Community Foundation and Bayer 04 worked together successfully last summer with flood disaster relief that provided swift support to many people in Leverkusen and the surrounding area.
The special shirt is available now from the Bayer 04 online shop plus the Bayer 04 fan shops in Leverkusen-Wiesdorf and at the BayArena. The shirt is available in sizes S to 5XL and costs €79.90.
Another special feature of the derby shirt: a chip is integrated into the seam of the shirt allowing fans to scan the chip with a smart phone to receive further information on the shirt. The Leverkusen coat of arms – instead of the Bayer 04 badge – in the numbers on the shirt as well as the Leverkusen logo are additional special features. All the clubs supplied by JAKO will launch a special shirt on Bundesliga matchdays 25 and 26. All shirts are made out of 100% recycled polyester. The slogan of the JAKO campaign, "Our team for a better world", is included on the shirt.
Although the proceeds will not go to the ‘Bayer 04 im Quartier’ project this time, the Werkself will pursue this initiative to commit long-term and as required to the city region of Leverkusen. Both current projects as well as new initiatives are part of the strategy. In future, that will include educational and activity provision in defined areas.
In their third friendly of this pre-season, Bayer 04 played on home soil for the first time – and won there too! The Werkself claimed a comfortable 4-0 victory against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. Jeanuel Belocian (9’) and Nathan Tella (42’) gave a dominant Leverkusen a 2-0 lead at the break, which Afonso Moreira (51’) and Christian Kofane (53’) doubled after the break. Among the many second-half substitutions was Patrik Schick, who made his first friendly appearance of the summer.
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The Werkself are finally back. On Saturday 8 August, Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign with their opening match. But there’s far more than just a double-header in store for Werkself supporters. True to the motto ‘One day. Two teams. One club’, the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium will be transformed into a world of excitement.
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The Werkself continue their 2026/27 pre-season preparations with their third friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Wednesday 29 July (kick-off 15:00 CEST). Werkself-TV is broadcasting the match live and in full in a stream from 14:50 CEST...
After the children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy grilled Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch last week, another group of 20 young Werkself fans gathered at the BayArena press conference room on Tuesday afternoon, 28 July . This time, the kids directed their questions at Tim Oermann and Jonah Berghoff. Defender Oermann raved about his school days, whilst talented midfielder Berghoff revealed to the young footballers, amongst other things, who his favourite player is – and he is also at Bayer 04. To round things off, the pair naturally obliged with all requests for autographs and selfies.
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Bayer 04 are back on the pitch. Following the first training sessions, the Werkself play the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 18. The match against Oberliga club Sportfreunde Baumberg kicks off at 15:30 CEST in Monheim am Rhein. Fans unable to attend the match can watch head coach Carles Martínez’s first game in charge for free via a livestream at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app, as well as on Werkself.tv (exclusively for members). Just log on and watch the games live. All the other Werkself preseason friendlies leading up to the 2026/27 season will also be streamed live for free.
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