The #Morethanfootball banner will be seen when the teams come on and the LED displays around the pitch will draw attention to the Action Weeks. This year, Werkself player Robert Andrich together with Juliane Wirtz of the Bayer 04 Women’s team are official ambassadors for the campaign: "Football is more than just 90 minutes. I've been impressed by the many projects already running here at Bayer 04 on a wide range of themes – whether that's diversity, sustainability or inclusion. For me that's an essential element these days," said Andrich. "As a football club you have the chance to use your charisma for important community and social issues. It's about responsibility and active tolerance – on and off the pitch. That's what we stand for."
The #Morethanfootball Action Weeks run to 14 April. The Werkself introduced projects on the subjects of social inclusion and awareness a few days ago. In the coming weeks the other areas to be covered include accessibility, sustainability and climate protection plus mental health. And the Bayer 04 Women's team are also dedicating tomorrow's home game against TSG Hoffenheim (kick-off: 16.00 CEST) to the Action Weeks.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Dr. Matthias Jöllenbeck as the referee for today’s game against Hertha Berlin. The 35-year-old match official has refereed the Werkself once before this season: January's 2-2 draw at home to Union Berlin. His assistant referees are Christof Günsch and Jonas Weickenmeier with Pascal Müller on VAR duty. Have a good game.
Finally there are no crowd restrictions for home games at the BayArena. The capacity at the BayArena of 30,210 is again permitted and standing will return in the home and away ends. The 3G rule does apply in accordance with the Coronavirus Protection Order, there is no obligation to wear a mask in the open air but we do advise wearing a face covering and it is still required indoors. Further information on Home game FAQs.
Ahead of the match against the club from the capital, Black and Red fans can get up-to-date with important matchday information with the help of Werkself LIVE. The programme can be obtained at the BayArena – alternatively it is available free online. This season's Bayer 04 matchday magazine provides interesting stats and facts on the game. On the back of the printed version for #B04BSC there is a poster of Karim Bellarabi. Click HERE for the e-paper.
Anybody unable to attend the game at the BayArena can follow proceedings on the Werkself Radio. There is also up-to-date information on the live text commentary service. Both the radio and text commentary are available at bayer04.de or on the new Bayer 04 app – check-in for the action.
For the home game at the BayArena against Hertha Berlin on Saturday 2 April (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), there will be a large number of closures affecting S-Bahn and motorway traffic due to the work on infrastructure for the Rhein-Ruhr-Express: S-Bahn trains between Cologne and Düsseldorf terminate at the Chempark station. From here there is a replacement bus service to Langenfeld – the same applies in the other direction. All spectators planning to travel by rail are advised by Bayer 04 to take the RB 48 to the Leverkusen-Manfort station. From there there is a 20-minute walk to the BayArena.
From Friday 1 April (22.00 CEST) to Monday 11 April (05.00 CEST), the Willy-Brandt-Ring between Carl-Duisberg-Straße and Edith-Weyde-Straße will be completely closed to road traffic as well as pedestrians and cyclists. The motorway exit from the A3 interchange for Leverkusen city centre is closed. Diversions will be shown for road traffic.
Car drivers wanting to reach the Kurtekotten car park via the A3 should come off the motorway in Köln-Mülheim and head for the car park via the B8 in the direction of Leverkusen (Düsseldorfer Straße). Otto-Bayer-Straße is recommended for satnav use. Car drivers who have parking permits around the BayArena recommended to use the A3 taking the Leverkusen-Opladen exit. From there, the car parks (green and red) will be signposted.
Bayer 04 recommends all fans to arrive early at the game. The BayArena opens two hours before kick-off at 13.30 CEST.
Today's game between the Werkself and Hertha Berlin will be keenly followed by Tayfun Korkut on his 48th birthday given his past employment. The Stuttgart-born coach took over from Roger Schmidt in March 2017 and he coached the Werkself up to the end of the 2016/17 season.
His next job took the Turkish manager back to his home town and VfB Stuttgart and Korkut coached Leverkusen's opponents Hertha Berlin from November last year to two weeks ago. Many happy returns from Bayer 04.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
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