There was a very special sports lesson on the agenda for 15 schoolchildren in the afternoon: The youngsters aged 6 to 10 eagerly took part in a kick-about with the Werkself players Nadiem Amiri and Selina Ostermeier in the school gym.
The two Bayer 04 players, complete with their tricks, drew great admiration in a hard-fought 4-4 draw – and they had as much fun as the youngsters. "It was great today. It was real fun to do something different in the afternoon," said Amiri. "There really are lots of kids with talent… And I thought my dribbling was particularly good today," joked the midfielder.
Central defender Ostermeier also enjoyed the change from the usual training sessions. "It was really great fun, it was something different and something really special for the children," she said: "There was huge joy when we came in." The 24-year-old was reminded of her own childhood. "I can imagine how special it is for the children. It makes it even better if we can make them happy with a visit like this."
Amiri and Ostermeier were then happy to sign autographs for the children and pose for photos together. Bayer 04 mascot Brian the Lion also joined in and ensured beaming faces from the primary school children.
The Leverkusen city manager Mark Adomat drew a positive conclusion after the event. "The children were full of enthusiasm and the players joined in brilliantly. Next episode to follow," he said: "Something like this right in the middle of the district is incredibly important. Because Bayer 04 is part of the city's culture."
The head of sport at the primary school was also happy. Andreas Kittel said: "The children really enjoyed it. We saw how great their enthusiasm was," he said: "You can see that Bayer 04 is deeply rooted in the region and nearly everybody here has a connection to the club."
The young school students have another highlight to look forward to: They will all receive free tickets for the Werkself Bundesliga home game against Freiburg on Sunday 29 October (kick-off: 17.30 CET, BayArena) where they will be able to support Amiri and Co. at the stadium.
The Werkself are organising district matchdays for this and next season. At selected Bundesliga home games, a different district of Leverkusen is the focus of activities with the players. For example, Bayer 04 will visit kindergartens and schools, organise fan festivals, penalty tournaments, and stage competitions as well as lots of other events.
In their third friendly of this pre-season, Bayer 04 played on home soil for the first time – and won there too! The Werkself claimed a comfortable 4-0 victory against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. Jeanuel Belocian (9’) and Nathan Tella (42’) gave a dominant Leverkusen a 2-0 lead at the break, which Afonso Moreira (51’) and Christian Kofane (53’) doubled after the break. Among the many second-half substitutions was Patrik Schick, who made his first friendly appearance of the summer.
Show more
The Werkself are finally back. On Saturday 8 August, Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign with their opening match. But there’s far more than just a double-header in store for Werkself supporters. True to the motto ‘One day. Two teams. One club’, the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium will be transformed into a world of excitement.
Show more
The Werkself continue their 2026/27 pre-season preparations with their third friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Wednesday 29 July (kick-off 15:00 CEST). Werkself-TV is broadcasting the match live and in full in a stream from 14:50 CEST...
After the children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy grilled Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch last week, another group of 20 young Werkself fans gathered at the BayArena press conference room on Tuesday afternoon, 28 July . This time, the kids directed their questions at Tim Oermann and Jonah Berghoff. Defender Oermann raved about his school days, whilst talented midfielder Berghoff revealed to the young footballers, amongst other things, who his favourite player is – and he is also at Bayer 04. To round things off, the pair naturally obliged with all requests for autographs and selfies.
Show more
Bayer 04 are back on the pitch. Following the first training sessions, the Werkself play the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 18. The match against Oberliga club Sportfreunde Baumberg kicks off at 15:30 CEST in Monheim am Rhein. Fans unable to attend the match can watch head coach Carles Martínez’s first game in charge for free via a livestream at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app, as well as on Werkself.tv (exclusively for members). Just log on and watch the games live. All the other Werkself preseason friendlies leading up to the 2026/27 season will also be streamed live for free.
Show more
