Whether it's the Bayer Sports Family week, the spectacular content format 'Bayer Sports Family Duel' or now the Bayer Sports Family matchday – the historic link between Bayer 04, TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Bayer AG is being passionately revived with joint events under the Cross.
Awards for athletes
The Bundesliga home game for the Werkself against newly promoted Darmstadt is being used by the Bayer Sports Family to provide fitting awards to the Bayer sports clubs honouring their successful athletes. During half-time, Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, will present awards to athletes and para-athletes from TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Presentation of team sports
During the warm-up routine for the Werkself players on the pitch, the stadium announcers Pitti Dahl and Tobias Ufer will interview players from the Bayer Giants (basketball) and the Werkselfen (handball). The Bayer Volleys will send a video message to Leverkusen as they are currently away on their pre-season in Greece.
TSV player escorts and flagbearers
A special experience awaits for a large number of TSV young athletes. The Bayer sports clubs will provide all the player escorts, banner and flagbearers on the home matchday against Darmstadt. They will all wear their own club kits as they come into the stadium thereby representing a large number of different sports including boxing, fencing, judo and athletics. The main and shirt sponsor Barmenia is foregoing the addition of the Barmenia name. Many thanks for this generous gesture.
Join-in activities on concourse
Bayer 04 fans can get involved with different TSV sports two hours before kick-off in join-in activities on the concourse at the stadium. A signed Bayer Sports Family shirt will be drawn at the wheel of fortune and the mascots Brian the Lion (Bayer 04), Paule (TSV Bayer 04) and Lionel (Bayer Giants) will be together before the game happily posing for photographs.
A unique opportunity: Signing up for a TSV membership on the matchday at the BayArena will see the waiving of the usual membership fee of €32 for adults.
The Bayer Sports Family:
As part of the Bayer Sports Family, Bayer 04 are moving closer together to the Bayer sports clubs and Bayer AG. This historic connection is being revived with joint events like the Bayer Sports Family matchday and the Bayer Sports Family week.
Bayer 04 will provide updates on the different team and individual sports, for example with important competitions and events. And the athletes from the Giants, Werkselfen, Volleys and Co. will regularly be integrated into our reporting: From the Werkself Magazin via Werkself TV and the Bayer 04 app through to the social media channels with over ten million followers. The highlight is the content format Bayer Sports Family duel where Bayer 04 first team players compete against TSV Bayer athletes in their disciplines.
In addition, the Fußball GmbH, Bayer sports clubs and Bayer AG have plans for the future to further strengthen the partnership.
Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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After six wins in seven games, the Werkself will be looking to continue their winning run in the capital at FC Union Berlin. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke ahead of the match on Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET) about defenders, the short preparation time and the condition of the pitch at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
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Union Berlin have performed particularly well against the top clubs in the Bundesliga this season with a draw at home to Bayern Munich and wins against VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig. This Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Irons now welcome the Werkself, currently sixth in the table, to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. And the hosts are in desperate need of a win. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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It took exactly 60 minutes for the Werkself to take the lead through a perfectly finished counter-attack by Patrik Schick in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off at Olympiacos. Referring to the meeting in the league phase and the initially squandered opportunities, coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: "I thought: 'Oh no, déjà-vu.'" But after the opening goal, it took just 144 seconds for the Czech to spark more wild celebrations among those in black and red in the Greek cauldron, when Schick nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo's corner. Much to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans, his teammates and his coach, who had warm words for the striker in the aftermath. The Werkself Review.
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