Empty seats, no support – home games at the BayArena have not been the same experience since the 4-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt in March 2020. The fans are missing, the bond between the Werkself and the North Stand is impossible due to the pandemic. Derby wins against FC Köln could not be celebrated; the wins against Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach were good to watch but there was no explosion in atmosphere like the 4-3 win against BVB in February 2020 due to obvious reasons. This special situation has led to Charles Aránguiz and his teammates sending a direct message to the Werkself fans in a video.
He also used to wear the Werkself shirt: Sam Schreck joined Leverkusen as a promising talent from FC St Pauli in 2016. The then 17-year-old mostly trained with the first team initially but played the majority of his games for the U19s. The midfielder made his debut for the Werkself in the Europa league in the autumn of 2018. Schreck, who is 21 today, moved on to FC Groningen in the Dutch Eredivisie in the summer of 2019. Up to now, he has made 33 appearances for the Green and Whites.
For the sporting managing director Rudi Völler, the Werkself campaign is simply "the best thing we've ever had." In the summer of 2007, Bayer 04 turned a long-standing perceived negative into a core value of our own self-image: The Bundesliga team was now officially known as the Werkself. The management asked themselves: What's so bad about the image of a works club? The answer was: Turn it round and consciously recognise the company and source of the name, Bayer AG. The change of image was an absolute hit.
The Werkself campaign won the marketing award for sports on 29 January 2008 at the twelfth ISPO Sports Sponsorship Congress in Munich. In front of over 1,000 representatives from the sports business scene, Bayer 04 managing director Wolfgang Holzhäuser plus players Bernd Schneider and René Adler received the award on behalf of Bayer Leverkusen Marketing GmbH. Leverkusen made an impression with a cheeky, ingenious and funny Werkself campaign. The campaign won out against a spot from EnBW and Air & Style; Barcelona, Hamburg SV and Borussia Dortmund did not make the first three.
The highly successful and mutually appreciated partnership between Bayer 04 and head coach Xabi Alonso ends after two and a half years. The 43-year-old Spaniard has led the Werkself to three trophies. Above all, winning the first German league title in the club's history will always be associated with the name of Xabi Alonso. The former world class player, who won many hearts in Leverkusen as a person, now says farewell to Bayer 04. We look back at a fantastic time with the Basque who fulfilled the biggest dream of all Bayer 04 fans together with an outstanding team.
Show moreA few weeks ago Borussia Dortmund were marooned in mid-table mediocrity in the Bundesliga. Then the Black and Yellows started a run that overcame all comers. And suddenly a Champions League spot was again within reach. BVB will be looking to take the next step towards the big target at the BayArena on Sunday, 11 May (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). Coach Niko Kovac has almost his full squad available. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show moreA cracker of a semi-final at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The Bayer 04 U19 team entertain Bayern Munich on Saturday, 10 May (kick-off: 11:00 CEST/stadium opens: 10:00 CEST). In front of a home crowd, the team led by head coach Sergi Runge, who welcomes back an attacking player, is looking to build on the battling performances from the previous knockout games and "perform at the right moment." Tickets are available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the game will also be broadcast live on Sky.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen will be the first Bundesliga club to open and operate a football academy in Brazil. The "Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo," led by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sérgio, will be established on the Bayer Brazil campus in São Paulo and accommodate up to 300 children and youth ages 5 to 15.
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