Season launch against West Ham United: Fringe events at the BayArena

It starts on Saturday at 11.00 CEST with the friendly between the Bayer 04 Women and FSV Gütersloh 2009. Access to the game at the UHS is from 10.30 CEST via the West entrance of the BayArena. Entrance is free for ticket holders for the clash between the Werkself and West Ham United. A ticket office will be open on the day with tickets for the game against the Hammers from England available from €10.

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Please note: The fan shop in Leverkusen Wiesdorf is closed all day and the shop at the BayArena will be open during the season launch.

Presentation of the Bayer 04 Teams

The BayArena will open at 11.30 CEST for the friendly between the Werkself and West Ham United. The best atmosphere and a good mood ahead of the game is provided for: Fans can expect a wide range of activities and games around the stadium. The youngest Bayer 04 fans will be well taken care of: With face painting, shooting cannons or measuring shots on goal there is fun guaranteed for the whole family.

One highlight will be the presentation the Werkself ahead of the game and the Bayer 04 Women during half-time. Members of the Bayer 04 Löwenclub will form a guard of honour for the teams on the pitch and thereby provide a special atmosphere.

Interviews and coversations

Around 30 minutes before kick-off in the game against the Hammers from the Premier League, there will be a crossbar challenge between fans and three players from the Bayer 04 women's team.

Immediately after that there will be an interview on the "stellkrebsvomplatz" campaign to raise awareness of the subject of the early diagnosis of prostate cancer. The stadium announcers Pitti Dahl and Tobias Ufer plus fan liaison officer Andreas ‘Paffi’ Paffrath together with Meinolf Sprink, fan and community director, plus Professor Wülfing from the USG (Urological Health Foundation) will discuss the subject of early diagnosis of prostate cancer. There will also be an information stall opposite the VIP entrance to the West stunned at the BayArena. Further information on the #stellkrebsvomplatz campaign and why a preventative examination is worthwhile for Bayer 04 fans is available HERE.

At half-time there will also be an interview with Fernando Carro, chairman of the board, and sporting managing director Simon Rolfes.

Bayer 04 Partner information stands

Bayer 04 Partners will have information stands at the season launch. Main sponsor Barmenia will present a football rodeo on the west side of the BayArena and the team from the Zweirad-Center Prumbaum will run a bicycle workshop at the bicycle stands at the motorway supports and new Kölsch partner Früh Kölsch will bring a few tasters with them.

The stadium layout:

awards and autograph session

After the game against West Ham, Jeremie Frimpong and Elisa Senß will be honoured for their performances in the 2022/23 season. The two Leverkusen players will receive the awards for Player of the Season and Women's Player of the Season following a poll of Bayer 04 supporters over the past few weeks.

That will be followed by an exclusive autograph session with the Werkself players and the Bayer 04 Women's squad for Bayer 04 Club members, Löwenclub children as well as disabled fans. As over 20,000 fans are expected on the day of the season launch, lots have been drawn between Bayer 04 Club members, Löwenclub children plus disabled fans to decide who can collect autographs. All the relevant rules on the procedure at the autograph session will be sent to the lucky winners via email.

Fans who have not won a place at the autograph session have other options: The beer garden on the Piazza with live music plus the fan shop will be open until the end of the autograph session.

DFB cup tie against Teutonia Ottensen

The first competitive match of the 2023/24 season is on Saturday 12 August. The Werkself are away to FC Teutonia 05 Ottensen from Hamburg in the first round of the DFB Cup. The tie will be played on Saturday with a 15.30 CEST kick-off at the Millerntor Stadium of second division FC St. Pauli.

The Bundesliga opener is a week later: The team under head coach Xabi Alonso entertain DFB Cup winners RB Leipzig at the BayArena on Saturday 19 August (kick-off: 15.30 CEST).