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.
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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Attention, Werkself fans: the new Away Matchday Collection is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. It includes t-shirts, zip tops and jackets.
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Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
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A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
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