While the opening seminar in the middle of March in Madrid with Mario Gomez (RB Leipzig technical director) and Paul Mitchell (Newcastle United sporting director) was held with the title of Football Governance and Sports Strategies, this time in Leverkusen the main subject area covered was Legal Framework and Business Skills.
The second of a total of three sessions that was held at the BayArena included the long-serving England manager Gareth Southgate, the former DFB official Oliver Bierhoff plus former players Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Tamás Hajnal. Other participants came from clubs including AS Monaco (France), Feyenoord (Netherlands), Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) and Ferencváros (Hungary).
"The sessions offer very interesting input from completely different angles," said Bayer 04 director of football Kim Falkenberg, who officially welcomed the participants to Leverkusen and then reported on the structure and operating methods plus the development of recent years at the German double winners. Falkenberg is also a participant on the course.
The third and final seminar with the title of Evolution of Football and new Technologies will be held next month in Nyon at the UEFA headquarters.
The Sporting Director Programme:
The Sporting Director Programme (SDP) was developed to give sporting directors practical and strategic skills plus leadership qualities needed for modern football management. The programme consists of three face-to-face seminars at the UEFA headquarters and at top European clubs plus two online master classes covering all aspects of running a successful football operation from squad planning to recruitment and making crucial decisions. Further information is available HERE.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss against TSG Hoffenheim on the 19th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
Show more
The Bayer 04 Women suffered a setback in the race for third place in the Bundesliga table. Coach Roberto Pätzold's team lost 1-0 at home to direct rivals TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday afternoon, with a penalty after two minutes deciding the match. With 32 points and a game in hand, TSG have moved above the Werkself, who remain on 31 points. There is now a three-week international break before the remaining seven Bundesliga matches.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without defender Loïc Badé for the time being. The Frenchman suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh in Saturday’s 1-0 Bundesliga defeat at FC Union Berlin. The diagnosis was the result of an MRI scan this Sunday morning.
Show more
It is an expression of solidarity and a tribute to the unique fan culture Under the Cross: Bayer 04 Leverkusen make a special statement with the "50 Years of Fan Clubs" jersey. To mark the founding of the "First Fan Club 1976 Leverkusen", which was followed by many more over the years right up to the present day, the Bundesliga club is commemorating 50 years of passion with this new jersey. Highs and lows, successes celebrated together as well as defeats suffered are manifested in this piece of white fabric, a symbol of unwavering identification with the Werkself.
Show more
