At the original sites there are information boards and other optical attractions. These show fans and visitors in a very approachable fashion what happened there since the founding of the club in 1904.
NK12 board member Oliver 'Wuppi' Willutzki explains how this project came about: "About five years ago we got a tip that there was still an old pillar from the 'Stadion am Stadtpark' ground of 1932 in the city park. That was the crucial event for us to set up the football tour route. Then we did research into other historic venues in the city and and then began to set it up."
One stand-out sight is the reproduction of the old entrance to the Stadion am Stadtpark in its original position. Large signs on the lamp posts lead visitors to the next stop on the route. For example, a corner arc has been painted in the Neulandpark – exactly where the ‘Dhünn pitch’ was, which was the first home ground for the Leverkusen football players up to 1932.
Leverkusen's mayor Uwe Richrath was at the unveiling and opening of the football route. "We want to tell the impressive story of this club. Bayer 04 and the Werkself are part and parcel of the city of Leverkusen," said the 60-year-old. "This project is terrific!"
The Leverkusen football route is not only visible in situ. NK 12 have made this Black and Red experience accessible to Werkself fans throughout Germany and worldwide. Click HERE for the online version of the route with a host of videos.
For the initiators of the tour the highlight was and is bringing the special history of the Werkself to the people. Willutzki: "The club was founded by workers and reached the top flight for the first time in 1951. The players have played with the cross on their shirts for over 80 years – and not for commercial purposes but for reasons of identification. Bayer 04 are undoubtedly a club with tradition."
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without centre-back Edmond Tapsoba in the coming weeks. The Burkina Faso international returned to the Werkself from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with a muscle injury.
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The Werkself are away to Hamburg SV at the end of the Hinrunde in the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign. The match at the newly promoted club is on Tuesday night, 13 January (kick-off: 20:30 CET). Ahead of the first encounter with HSV since 2018, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the strengths of the opponents, lessons learnt from the home defeat against VfB Stuttgart and provided a squad update.
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In Germany, the temperatures are currently around zero, leaving even professional footballers freezing - but not the Bayer 04 Women. Roberto Pätzold's team have fled the cold to the south and are preparing for the second half of the season at a training camp in the Algarve, almost 2,000 kilometres away from home as the crow flies. The Leverkusen squad landed in Faro on Saturday morning and have already completed the first three training sessions over the weekend.
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It was a disappointing Saturday night. The Werkself lost 4-1 to VfB Stuttgart to start the new year on Bundesliga matchday 16 in 2025/26, a result that left both players and fans disappointed. "We played without any passion," said Alejandro Grimaldo honestly afterwards. Teammate Jarell Quansah was even more self-critical, emphasising: "We were miles off it in the first half. You can't put in a performance like that, especially in front of our own fans and I can only apologise to them, to be honest." Read on for the reaction, facts and stats from the clash with VfB Stuttgart in the Werkself review.
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