Simon Rolfes: "I wanted to make time in my first year as Managing Director to look over the structures and procedures in the sporting area – and make adjustments as necessary. The creation of the new position is a result of this process and I'm very happy that we have been able to appoint Thomas Eichin in this role." The experience, commitment and leadership ability of Eichin's, plus the very close corporation to date, have made him the ideal candidate for this position, according to Rolfes.
Thomas Eichin: "I didn't plan to take this step in my career. But the job is very exciting, takes account of the high demands in a modern sports organisation and, beyond that, offers lots of possibilities to develop it. I'm very happy with the confidence Simon Rolfes and Bayer 04 have in me. With my experience of 25 years in professional sport, I’d like to make my contribution to helping the club be more professional and more successful in the future."
Eichin's areas of responsibility will include the areas of staff, nutrition, organisation, infrastructure and logistics. Beyond that, the new 'head of professional football' will also provide a link from the professional teams to the medical section but also to other areas of the club.
Rolfes and Eichin will temporarily cover the vacant position of Head of Performance Centre until further notice. Rolfes: "We have made a number of changes in the youth section recently. But it remains a challenge for us. We will carry out a careful candidate and selection process to come up with an excellent and long-term solution to meet the demands of Bayer 04."
The areas of scouting and squad planning remain unaffected by the new structure. Kim Falkenberg, as Head of Recruitment, reports directly to the Bayer 04 Sporting Managing Director. "Kim Falkenberg has done an excellent job in his section in recent years. His role has assumed even more responsibility with the departure of Tim Steidten earlier in the year. I'm happy that he is part of our sports management team."
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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