26.08.2026Fans

“Rudi invites”: Fascinating insights ‘from being founded to rise to the top’

Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.

Rudi Vollborn beim Vortrag im Rahmen der Reihe „Rudi lädt ein“

Vollborn enriched his entertaining talk with numerous photographs and videos, the result of painstaking research. The 63-year-old also discussed the period before 1904 in detail and explained the factors that had led to the club being founded. Particular attention was also paid to the sporting development of the ‘Werkself’, which in 1979 marked the start of their unbroken run in the Bundesliga that continues to this day, before a lively discussion with the fans brought this ‘historic’ evening to a close.

Rudi Vollborn beim Vortrag im Rahmen der Reihe „Rudi lädt ein“

journey back in time to the third reich planned

At the next event, Vollborn will again take his guests on a journey to the red and black past. In early November, together with an expert guest, he will shed light on the club’s history during the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945. Bayer 04 will provide plenty of advance notice via the club’s own channels regarding ticket sales.

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