The FCSA was founded in 2007 by the charitable and independent foundation Scort, which is based in Switzerland. The network brings professional football clubs together to enable them to make a sustainable commitment to development aid. Bayer 04 has worked for many years in crisis areas and regions formerly affected by conflict.
This includes the Werkself starting 13 international projects with different modules. For example, a number of Bayer 04 coaches have worked with youth coaches in Uganda, Colombia, Vietnam and Tanzania since 2009 where they were able to share their knowledge with 726 newly trained coaches who were then able to pass that on to children and teenagers locally.
Marc-Andre Buchwalder, CEO of the Scort Foundation/Football Club Social Alliance, said: "The alliance has developed football as a sustainable instrument of development and Bayer 04 has been an integral part of this partnership for over 10 years. Thousands of young coaches in areas of conflict have benefited from their expertise and they then had a positive influence through sport on another 100,000 children. Thank you Bayer 04, thank you Leverkusen and we wish you lots of success in the Europa League."
Fernando Carro, chairman of the board at Bayer 04, also endorses the extension to the partnership with the FCSA: "It is very close to our hearts here at Bayer 04 to be able to provide the best possible support in areas of conflict and pass on our expertise to the young coaches locally."
On the Scort Foundation:
The Scort Foundation is a charitable, politically and religiously independent foundation based in Switzerland. They are committed to the area of 'sport for development' where sport is used as a medium to achieve different health, social and locally relevant targets. Through the development and implementation of training projects in crisis areas and regions formerly affected by conflict, Scort supports young adults who can act as community leaders in their societies. The Scort Foundation is also a partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Against this background, the Scort Foundation founded the Football Club Social Alliance (FCSA) in 2007. Together with Scort, the FCSA trains young adults to be children's football coaches in areas of crisis and former conflict. In their position as coaches, they can have a positive effect on the lives of countless children as role models and direct contacts.
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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