
In her future position, Homburg, as with press officer Dirk Mesch, will report directly to Holger Tromp, communications director at Bayer 04.
Holger Tromp: "The challenges in professional communications in and around the Bundesliga have grown immensely in recent years and have also become more complex. For a Bundesliga club, the heart of the matter is still sport but beyond that there are increasingly other tasks including in the community. We have recognised this development by bringing in Valeska Homburg. We are very happy she has accepted and we are certain she will have a vitalising effect on Bayer 04 with her expertise and charisma."
Valeska Homburg: "I'm very grateful looking back at 20 years at ARD and I'm full of anticipation for the new challenge at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from the summer. It will be a new and very interesting job with demands and opportunities at a very professionally run club that has shown great confidence in me."
Valeska Homburg CV:
Valeska Homburg is an experienced sports journalist who has mainly worked for ARD for 20 years. She has an outstanding media network and has gained experience as a journalist including at large-scale events like World Cup tournaments as well as Summer and Winter Olympic games. She presented Bundesliga matches for two years for the former broadcaster Liga Total!. She has experience in media and communication training, speaks fluent English and has been actively involved in social issues for many years. She studied sports science at the German Sports University in Cologne.

The Black and Reds kick off the new Bundesliga campaign today, Saturday 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST), away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg – and the Werkself will come up against a familiar face who is currently causing a stir at ‘Elv’. For an affordable and easy journey to the Saarland, the 1,600 travelling fans can still use the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Today’s matchday news..
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The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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The Bundesliga is back. On Saturday 29 August (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to SV 07 Elversberg on matchday 1 of the new season. Ahead of the clash at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the importance of a successful start and the motivation of the league newcomers from the Saarland.
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On Friday afternoon, it will be decided which eight of the 36 participating teams Bayer 04 will face in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2026/27. At the draw in Monaco (live on UEFA.com), the Werkself will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, allocated according to the UEFA club coefficient. A match against an opponent from the same country is ruled out, as is facing more than two clubs from the same national association. Here’s a look at the pots and potential opponents.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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