There was a big debate in Leverkusen and the half-yearly general meeting was brought forward. On Monday 18 July 1949, the big decision was taken in the Burghof on Rathenaustraße. The club members voted to introduce professional contracts by an overwhelming majority with only four votes against – the football section was then made up of professional players and amateurs.
The Bayer 04 Leverkusen first team were playing in the Second Oberliga West at the time. All the players now received a monthly salary from the club as well as from their employers – that was mostly the Bayer works. A week in the life of a professional at Bayer 04 in 1949 looked like this: Work every weekday, training on Tuesday and Thursday from 6 o'clock in the evening and on Sunday there was a league match. Depending on the result of the game: Slaps on the back or insults at work. The men played in front of their workmates every Sunday. And they were expected to give their all as they were being paid for it even though the monthly payments would hardly raise a smile today. Key performers earned 200 Deutschmarks a month at Bayer 04 plus expenses of ten Deutschmarks per match.
The decision taken at the Burghof in July 1949 was the starting shot for our Bayer 04 as we know it today.
Tranquillo Barnetta was born in St. Gallen in Switzerland on 22 May 1985. Quillo, as he was called in the football world, has Italian roots. His great-grandfather emigrated from Italy to the east of Switzerland. Quillo was interested in football early on and he played for the St. Gallen club FC Rotmonten from the age of six. He joined his favourite club FC St. Gallen at the age of 11. There he became a youth international. He won the European Championships with his teammates in the Switzerland U17 team in 2002. The youngsters from Switzerland beat France 4-2 on penalties in the final to become U17 European champions.
Show moreSince the establishment of the Bundesliga on 28 July 1962 for the 1963/64 season, there have been five Regional Leagues: North, Berlin, West, South-west and South. The champions of those five leagues qualified directly for promotion play-offs that were played in two groups of four teams. That included the two second-placed teams in the West and South-west Regional Leagues. The two runners-up from the North and the South played a qualifier for the eighth place in the promotion games.
Show moreIn this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of May. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.
Show moreThere were high summer temperatures in Leverkusen on 25 May 1985. Matchday 32 brings FC Köln to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium with only 13,000 spectators at the derby. That is primarily due to the Werkself with Bayer 04 rarely impressing in that season and they are eleventh in the table before the game just three points ahead of sixteenth, the play-off spot. But with the two points for a win rule back then – two points were awarded for a win – and with the significantly better goal difference, the Werkself need every point to get out of trouble.
Show moreIt was all or nothing on the final matchday in the Verbandsliga in the 1974/75 season. Only now would it be decided who were champions and thereby participate in the promotion games to the Bundesliga 2 North. The earlier rivals Viktoria Köln, SC Jülich 10 and Bonner SC have fallen by the wayside.
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