Bayer 04 honorary captain Stefan Kießling was one of 14 candidates to receive a certificate on Tuesday evening for the successful completion of the 'Management in professional football' course. The 38-year-old was part of the first year of the programme started by the German Football League (DFL) and the German Football Association (DFB) two years ago.
"The course was very interesting and lively from the first day because it covered the broadest range of areas and subjects. The focus was not just on the transmission of knowledge but also the intensive exchange of information with each other," said Kießling who moved into the sporting management at the Werkself after ending his playing career in 2018 and today he is responsible for coordinating the senior squad.
The Bayer 04 honorary captain was on the course alongside former players including Marcel Schäfer, Christian Gentner, Thomas Kessler and Sascha Riether. The second year of the programme started in October 2021.
The executive committee of the European Football Union (UEFA) has approved the reform of European club competitions from the 2024/25 season. UEFA has come to an accommodation with the critics of the reform of the Champions League decided in April.
The new format of the Champions League, which Bayer 04 CEO Fernando Carro worked on as a board member of the ECA, envisages an increase of 32 to 36 participants with the competition played according to the so-called 'Swiss model'. However, the original idea of two of the four additional places being allocated according to a five-year ranking of the club's was rejected. In a compromise, these two additional places will go to the countries whose teams perform best in the previous European competition season. In addition, the number of qualifying games will not increase from six to ten but instead to eight.
Werkself defender Jonathan Tah enabled a large number of children to enjoy a very special experience last weekend: The 26-year-old, who has been an ambassador for the DFB Egidius Braun Foundation for three years, invited a group of children from the KITZ Hopp Children's Cancer Centre in Heidelberg to the PreZero Arena. The children were able to watch the Werkself win 4-2 at the TSG Hoffenheim stadium and enjoy the ensuing celebrations of qualifications for the Champions League. .
"It's always great to bring joy to children. This time there was the opportunity as the game was played close to Heidelberg," said Tah, who has supported the partnership between the DFB Foundation and the KITZ Hopp Children's Cancer Centre in Heidelberg since 2019 as part of the 'Children's dreams' campaign. "We will definitely do the whole thing again in the future."
The crowning moment of an impressive season was absent in the end. The Bayer Giants Leverkusen, recently hit hard by numerous injuries, lost out in the promotion race for the basketball Bundesliga on Tuesday night. In game three of the semi-finals they suffered a 74 to 62 defeat against Tigers Tübingen at the Ostermann Arena. As the previous two away games in Baden-Württemberg were lost the third defeat in the best-of-five format now ensures the Giants remain in second division of the basketball Bundesliga.
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
Show more
Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
Show more
A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
Show more
A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day four (Wednesday 5 August) is all about training. The day begins with a gruelling open training session – new signing Miguel Gutiérrez also takes part. A second session follows in the afternoon, this time behind closed doors.
Show more
At the training camp in the Weimarer Land region, Bayer 04 head coach Carles Martínez and his long-standing assistant Pol García talk about their first few weeks with the Werkself, their expectations of their own work, the coaching staff and the squad, as well as the style of football they want the team to play. They emphasise the importance of a winning mentality within the team, comment on cultural and personal differences in the world of football, and outline their goals for the coming season...
Show more
