The floodlights, sponsored by Bayer AG to mark the company's centenary, were unveiled on 10 August 1963. The most modern and brightest system in Europe at the time passed its performance test behind closed doors on 17 December 1963 for a friendly against a Middle Rhine team and was only used again on Maundy Thursday in 1964 for a friendly against Wacker Innsbruck. The Werkself won that game 2-0.
After the event on New Year, the other three floodlight pylons were used as 'VIP seats' whenever the stadium was full. The fourth floodlight pylon was only replaced in 1970.
Our team played their first league match under floodlights on a Friday night. Bayer 04 beat Alemannia Aachen 2-1 at home in the Regional League West on 17 October 1970. However, the brightness of the lights became a problem over the years. Bayer 04 had to dim the floodlights to stop dazzling drivers on the A1 autobahn. That meant the Werkself players had to strain their eyes in night games to maintain a clear vision of proceedings.
Only with the rebuilding of the "Gem of the Bundesliga" and the completion of the first half of the construction of the new East Stand in October 1986 did the Ulrich Haberland Stadium have two new floodlight pylons in the north-east and south-east of the ground so that the drivers on the A1 were no longer dazzled. That meant our team played night matches at the time with light from two new and two old floodlight pylons. All four floodlight pylons were upgraded in October 1988.
Lighting at the stadium was no longer a problem with one exception: After an away game in the Champions League qualifier at Dinamo Tbilisi in 1997, coach Christoph Daum organised a training session at the stadium on their return at four in the morning – with all the lights on. Residents around the stadium experienced significant disruption during the night. Since then, there has never been another similar hush-hush operation.
Wolfgang Vöge was born on 15 September 1955 in Ahlen, Westphalia and he was the fourth of seven children of a miner. His father, Erich Vöge, was a football referee as well. At an early age, Wolle, as he was called by his friends and teammates, developed a great passion for football and was an enthusiastic fan of BVB. His first success in football was achieved in the amateur game at his hometown club of SV Ahlen. He scored 26 goals in the first season and he came to the attention of scouts. That led to his move to Borussia Dortmund in 1975.
Show more
Andreas Thom was born on 7 September 1965 in Rüdersdorf near Berlin in Brandenburg. Andreas displayed an exceptional talent on the ball even as a child. Early on, he joined the youth section at BFC Dynamo Berlin, one of the leading football clubs in the German Democratic Republic. There he received targeted, performance-oriented training as part of the GDR sports system. His talent, his vision and his technique led him to make his debut in the first team at BFC Dynamo at the age of 17.
Show more
Jens Melzig was born in Cottbus on 28 September 1965. Melle, as he was called at Leverkusen, started his playing career at his hometown club Energie Cottbus. As a young player there he soon stood out thanks to his strength in challenges and his ability to read the game. He was in the Energie Cottbus first team in 1984 and he played for the club in the GDR league and the Oberliga. With 144 appearances and twelve goals he became one of the big players in defence. He made a major contribution to the club during this period – as a strong-tackling central defender who also displayed leadership qualities.
Show more
Lucio, full name Lucimar Ferreira da Silva, was born on 8 May 1978 in Planaltina, a suburb of the Brazilian capital Brasília. He showed his passion for football even as a child. On the dusty streets of his neighbourhood he spent hours chasing the ball – often in bare feet like many Brazilian children. Despite the simple conditions he grew up in, his family always supported his dream of one day becoming a great football player. He made his first steps in club football at small local clubs before moving onto the youth set-up at the club Guará and later he singed for the big club Internacional Porto Alegre. Bayer 04 signed the internationally completely unknown defender from there in January 2000.
Show more
In this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of September. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.
Show more
