Partnership with V-Varen Nagasaki in youth football

"If you look at how many Japanese players there are in the Bundesliga and other European leagues then the market is very interesting for Bayer 04," explained Helmut Jungheim, head of the Werkself academy. "On top of that, both sides will benefit from this international exchange . The coaches can share valuable ideas and the young players can make new experiences and extend their horizons."

The Bayer 04 U17 team will take part in a training camp in Nagasaki once a year. The first time will be and the end of July/start of August 2018. One Leverkusen youth coach will help out with a one-week visit by the V-Varen Nagasaki coaches. And two Bayer 04 youth team coaches will lead a week-long soccer school in the Japanese port city.

The agreement also covers the regular participation of Japanese talents in Bayer 04 U17 and U19 training sessions over a period of four weeks a year. The Nagasaki youth players will be able to take part in Leverkusen friendly games.

"In addition to the sporting aspects, this partnership also plays an important role in the internationalisation of the club. "We're confident this partnership will be have a broader base in future," said Florian Dederichs, head of brand and commercial management at Bayer 04 (pictured above right).

V-Varen Nagasaki have been in Japan's top flight, the J-League since 2018. The club's main sponsor is the Japanet Group.