The recent Euros and their effect on German football, youth development at the clubs, financial models in competition with international rivals but, above all, the targets and mutual expectations of the Bundesliga 2 clubs Fortuna Düsseldorf and FC Köln and the top-flight sides Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer 04 were the most important of many subjects on an informative and entertaining evening. Under the guidance of RP editors Jannik Sorgatz and Gianni Costa, Fortuna Düsseldorf’s Klaus Allofs, FC Köln’s Christian Keller, Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Roland Virkus and Simon Rolfes took part in a roundtable discussion dealing with lots of matters succinctly but also with humour.
To what extent predictions and expectations can be met will start to be evident on Friday in the Bundesliga when Borussia Mönchengladbach entertain the champions of Germany, DFB Pokal and Supercup winners Bayer 04 in the first game of the new league campaign with the kick off at 20.30 CEST.
Photo: Andreas Bretz
Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
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Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
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One day after the successful DFB Pokal first round tie at SV Wehen Wiesbaden (4–0), the mood was understandably really good: Over 400 Bayer 04 supporters gathered on Sunday, 23 August, for the annual fan club meet-up at the BayArena and got in the mood for the new season through direct and informal discussions with Bayer 04 management, head coach Carles Martínez and Werkself players.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-0 win at RB Leipzig on the 1st matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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