
Rüdiger, what does the new shirt feel like?
Vollborn: Just like it should do: absolute top quality. I also know our kit managers are very happy with the quality. And in terms of the look I’ve got to say: I really, really like this shirt. The people at JAKO have certainly put their thinking caps on, above all the designer David Blanch. I think it’s great when somebody gets so involved with our club and produce shirts like this one.
What details do you particularly like?
Vollborn: I think it’s brilliant the way the Leverkusen skyline appears on the collar. You can see the Bayer Cross, the water tower, the town hall gallery and a lot more. City, factory and club all belong together. And the collar expresses that for me. The love of detail with the stripes 72 millimetres apart reflecting the fact the Bayer Cross had a 72-metre diameter - fantastic! And then the fact the numbers on the shirt reflect the style of the 1970s club badge. Fantastic. This shirt is linked to our history and tradition. And the people at Jako have really dug deep here. Hats off to them!
What impressions did you get from your visit to Jako?
Vollborn: A great company with lots of young people full of brilliant ideas. I hope we can work with Jako over the long term. I think we can definitely help each other.
How do you think the fans will react?
Vollborn: I’m pretty sure all the shirts,including the away and third kits, will go down very well. Our fans are in for a real treat.


The Bayer 04 women’s team secured a win in the friendly during the international break. Without a total of eight international players, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team defeated Bundesliga 2 side Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1 at the Kurtekotten Training Centre, thanks to goals from Lobke Loonen (1’, penalty), Caroline Kehrer (41') and Valentina Mädl (66').
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without striker Christian Kofane in the coming weeks. The 20-year-old sustained a muscle injury to his left thigh on international duty with the Cameroon national team during the recent international break. This will prevent him from playing in the upcoming Werkself matches.
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FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fans ask, Carolin Simon answers: As part of Bayer 04’s second Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, the Leverkusen captain took questions from the community. The full-back, who returned to the club this summer after ten years away, set aside an hour and a half for the Q&A session with fans, offering a very personal insight into, amongst other things, her daily life as a footballer and her role as captain, as well as her passion for Pokémon.
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