The background to the project is an application submitted by the German Football Museum to enter recreation grounds in the statewide register of intangible cultural heritage – and it was successful. In 2018, the North Rhine Westphalia ministry of education and cultural affairs recognised the recreation grounds as such. Intangible cultural heritage is seen as cultural forms of expression, which are passed on and shaped from generation to generation. That includes traditions, performing arts but also special knowledge and rituals – and now also the culture of recreation grounds.
The recreation ground should above all be a freely accessible venue for fairness, tolerance and integration according to Manuel Neukirchner. "It's a place of social and group conduct, a place to learn without adults," said the director of the German Football Museum in Dortmund. "Regardless of religion, skin colour or gender, you can learn how to recognise rules, resolve conflict but also discover spontaneity and autonomy. Values and norms that are more present and more important than ever before in today's society. That's what football and especially the recreation ground can provide."
The sign to the Boberstraße recreation ground and twelve other signs to Leverkusen pitches should immediately highlight the award and provide an active contribution to the maintenance of recreation grounds in the city. These facilities are increasingly threatened by the changed user behaviour of children and teenagers, numerous alternative leisure activities as well as the expansion of all-day schools.
Stefan Kießling, who played for Bayer 04 for twelve years making a total of 404 Bundesliga appearances, can still vividly remember his own past on the recreation ground: "Since I was able to run I spent my time on the recreation ground and loved it. After school I got home as quickly as possible, did my homework and then got on my bike to the recreation ground," explained the now 37-year-old who grew up in Bamberg in Franconia. "You didn't need a mobile phone back then. I knew exactly that I'd always meet somebody there who I knew."
Kießling is convinced that his time on the recreation ground shaped him as a player and as a person. He is now working as coordinator for the first team at Bayer 04: "When you were younger you obviously had to show more deference. But the older you got, the more you could set the rules for yourself. And, above all, you learned to resolve friction yourselves. Not to forget: I’ve still got the scars on my legs."
The target of the initiative is to be part of a nationwide register in the future. The closing date is 30 November. Up to then, the German Football Museum is working with the Ruhrmuseum in Essen and the Sports University in Cologne to provide the required academic evidence for the cultural significance of the recreation grounds to then be recognised as a national cultural heritage. The decision is due to be made at the start of next year.
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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