
Mr Schmitz, there are no games in the Bundesliga due to the coronavirus crisis. Does a break like that benefit the ground staff?
The sense and purpose of our work is maintaining the best possible playing surface – and that’s clearly working very well at the moment. But it’s anything but good against the background of the coronavirus crisis. Grass and football go hand in hand.
There are normally lots of games in the closing stages of a season. How has the daily work routine at Bismarckstraße and at Kurtekotten changed for you and your team in recent weeks?
We’ve come out of a period of lots of games. The pitch is in very good condition again now. That’s why it was and and is about doing pre-emptive work. We’ve been able to use the break up to now to bring forward remedial measures, which normally happen in the summer. At the same time, the temperatures aren’t yet optimal so we have to support the processes with undersoil heating and lighting.

Last season, the Werkself played four games in twelve days at the BayArena between October and November. There could be a similarly busy schedule with the end of the season possible in early summer.
At the time we had a lot of rainfall and cold temperatures. We’re now expecting warmer and sunnier weather and growth will increase. If grass is fed with the right nutrients then it can grow two centimetres overnight and look completely different after two days. With the problem of worn areas like the goalmouth, we’ll have to replace them during a phase like this.
Head coach Peter Bosz never tires of emphasising how important a good pitch is for the way the Werkself play. What’s particularly important with your work on the pitch?
The demands on pitches is high throughout the league. We always aim to get worn areas green again as soon as possible. We work with a natural product that sometimes takes a bit of time. We use artificial light and heat to speed up the process. One challenge in our day-to-day work is the height of the grass is getting lower and lower. A couple of years ago it was mostly 28 millimetres and now it’s often 23 or 24 millimetres. That’s why we sowed 100 per cent meadow grass when he replaced the pitch in November. This type has very vigorous root growth. Finally, we sowed pasture grass because it recovers quicker.
And finally: Are you as busy in your own garden at home?
The circumstances are very different (he laughs). It’s a landscape lawn with daisies and clover. Everything that should be there.

Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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The champions of Slovenia NK Celje are in a European competition for the fourth time in their history. This Wednesday, 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the side lead by head coach Vitor Campelos visit the BayArena for matchday 1 in the group stage in the UEFA Europa League. Celje’s last match at the weekend did not go to plan. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Construction work continues on the ‘Haus der Talente’ on Kurtekottenweg in Leverkusen, where 36 young elite athletes will find a new home from next summer. The building team from Temmink Bau, led by Thomas Wellers, are hard at work. Over the past few days, excavators, wheeled loaders and rollers have removed 2,500 cubic metres of soil to excavate the basement.
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