"We wanted to come back again anyway this year. We just really like it here," declared Michael Varutti, standing with many other fans at the training ground at the Alois Latini Stadium wearing his new Bayer 04 home shirt. The Leverkusen-born fan and decades long season cardholder used the nine Euro ticket for the journey, which can be bought in Germany in June, July and August for nine euros per month: "Of course, that affected our decision."
As this special offer can only be used on regional trains, the couple from Leverkusen-Wiesdorf decided to turn the journey to the training camp into an expedition. So, they planned a route from their hometown of Leverkusen in the direction of Zell am See with stops at some of their favourite places in Germany and Austria.
The 57-year-old and his two-years older wife Doro set off three days before the Bayer 04 players and staff. The final destination on the first day was Boppard. The small town in the Rhineland Palatinate with a population of 15,000 is south of Koblenz on the banks of the Rhine. "A nice little town that I know from my bike tours to Mainz," explains Michael Varutti who regularly travels to Werkself away games in Mainz and Mönchengladbach on his bike.
The couple covered a longer stretch on day two but had to make three changes on the way from Boppard to Munich: in Frankfurt, Würzburg and Nuremberg. "All the trains were very full," said Michael Varutti. But that did not bother the Leverkuseners: "We were lucky we got on at the start each time so we always had a seat." In Munich, they went sightseeing on foot in the afternoon and finally recharged their batteries for travel day number three in the direction of the Austrian border.
The third overnight stop came a few kilometres away from Austria. In Freilassing, a small town north-west of Salzburg, the Varuttis stayed at one of their favourite hotels and enjoyed the rest of the day in their favourite beer garden. They spent two nights there, going on a sightseeing tour of Salzburg and just enjoying the alpine panorama.
Friday morning, on travel day five, the destination was finally Zell am See. For the last stage in Austria, the couple made use of an inexpensive 'Einfach-Raus-Ticket'. The first activity in Zell am See: watching the Bayer 04 training session. With the view of the pitch right next to Zeller See, Michael Varutti said: "It's just beautiful here again and again!"
Michael Varutti had previously travelled to the Werkself training camp in 2018 and 2019. On his first visit, he was joined by his now 20-year-old son Henrik, also a big Bayer 04 Fan, on the journey to Zell am See using the FlixBus. A year later, Michael Varutti accompanied the Werkself fan liaison officer Frank Linde by car.
He wants to come back again next year. First there is another holiday planned for the autumn – and Varutti appears to have the first ideas of a itinerary in his head: "Let's see where Bayer play in the Champions League…"
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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