
The director Stefan Thomé sent out the invites and Michael Schade was one of the people who called in. "For Bayer 04 it's good to know we have a completely reliable partner at our side in the Fan Project," said the CEO and he went on to praise the first-class work of Thomé and his colleagues Daniela Frühling and Hannes Diller.
For 20 years, the Fan Project has looked after Werkself fans at home and away games, taken part in security meetings, provided advice with personal problems and conflicts related to football and organised preventive events on the subjects of violence, racism and bullying in schools. In addition, there are regular football and running sessions.
"The successful concept of the Fan Project is based on well thought out educational work," said Uwe Richrat, Mayor of the City of Leverkusen, and Marc Adomat, head of the Department for Schools and Sports, added: "The Fan Project, with its full-time and voluntary staff, regularly succeeds in ensuring that football at the BayArena is one of the best activities in the world."


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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