
Inclusion, integration plus the promotion of social interaction are just a small selection of themes that are an inherent part of the Bayer 04 DNA. Between 22 March and 18 April, the Werkself will report on the club's own channels how these issues are brought to life in and around the BayArena, the Kurtekotten Performance Centre and the other Bayer 04 venues.
Nina Brüggemann, defender in the Women's Bundesliga team, is an ambassador for the Werkself as part of the #Morethanfootball Action Weeks. The 28-year-old explains: "Football is more than just a sport. It connects people worldwide including off the pitch. For many years, the club Bayer 04 have broadcast important messages on issues such as equality, diversity and sustainability. In the future that has to be carried forward and developed as social responsibility. We are #Morethanfootball.”

Emrehan Gedikli, a member of the first-team squad at Bayer 04, is also an ambassador. The 17-year-old talent says: "For young athletes like me it's important to think about the future alongside work on the pitch. Therefore I'm happy that I am able to continue my vocational training at Bayer 04. I'm learning new things every day – both on and off the pitch. We are #Morethanfootball.”

Lukas Hradecky, Werkself goalkeeper, also talks as a member of the Leverkusen ambassador group: "The love for football made us into professional athletes. Without that passion none of us would be where we are now. We share this passion with millions of football players across the world. A passion that connects us all – on and off the football pitch. We are #Morethanfootball.”

At the Women's team home game against Eintracht Frankfurt (26 March) and the Werkself home game against Schalke 04 (3 April) there will also be a range of messages relating to the #Morethanfootball Action Weeks. A Europe-wide virtual human chain made up of players, fans and club management will be the highlight of this year’s campaigns that Bayer 04 are supporting as an active member of the European Football for Development Network (EFDN).

Former Bundesliga and Germany keeper Manfred Manglitz, who was promoted to the Oberliga West with Bayer 04 in 1962, passed away on Monday at the age of 86.
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Justine Brandau and Lobke Loonen joined the Bayer 04 Women’s squad in quick succession this summer. The two Dutch players have been friends since their youth days, and are now playing for the same club for the first time. In an interview at the training camp in Rieden, Brandau and Loonen talk, amongst other things, about their experiences as opponents in the Vrouwen Eredivisie, the dynamic within their new team and their first few weeks in Leverkusen.
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The Werkself fixture list for the 2026/27 season in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga has been finalised. To kick off the season, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team travel to RB Leipzig between 21 and 24 August. The fixtures were announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday morning. The season will conclude with a home match on 23 May 2027 against newly promoted side Mainz 05.
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On Wednesday evening, Monheim City Council voted against a planning resolution for the Bayer 04 Campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße in Monheim in a secret ballot, with 19 votes in favour, 25 against and one abstention. The legal status of the project therefore remains unchanged.
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