The anniversary celebrations took place at pre-game and halftime as part of the Saturday clash with Mainz 05, marking five decades of organized fan culture dating back to 1976. The “Werkself” players sported special customized white kits to honor the occasion designed under the theme “love that lasts a lifetime” and bearing the Bayer 04 Leverkusen crest from that era of the late 1970s.
Six fan clubs, in particular, were recognized for five decades of loyalty to the cross, while Kramm was given the microphone to speak with the crowd about the passion of the Werkself Warriors, the U.S.-based club he co-founded with Octavio Gil.
Established in New York City last year and officially recognized for this most recent Bundesliga season, the Werkself Warriors highlight the tradition, community and enthusiasm that have defined the club’s loyal supporter culture for half a century.
For the Werkself Warriors and Kramm, the occasion was a powerful reminder of the deep bonds that connect Leverkusen to fans far beyond Germany’s borders.
“It was an honor to be part of this celebration of 50 years of Leverkusen fan clubs,” said Kramm, who traveled in from the U.S. for the occasion. “There is a lot of history here, and there are such strong bonds between this great club, its fans and the community going back decades.”
Kramm and Gil continue to strengthen those bonds on the other side of the Atlantic with Bayer 04-themed meet-ups and events around the New York City region.
“I hope that I can take some of that back with me to the U.S. where we continue to celebrate the Werkself regularly on match days with other New York area Bayer 04 fans,” he added.
The recognition of the Werkself Warriors underscores Bayer 04’s growing international community and the shared identity that unites supporters worldwide – 50 years after the first official fan club was established. Whether at the BayArena or gathering in Manhattan on matchdays, the black and red colors continue to bring fans together across continents.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 on Matchday 24 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
A late goal secured a point for Bayer 04 at home to FSV Mainz 05 in a match that saw the Black and Reds dominant in the second half. Despite lots of possession, the Werkself initially found few gaps and fell behind after 67 minutes when Sheraldo Becker scored in a Mainz counter-attack. In the closing stages, Leverkusen threw everything forward once again and equalised through Jarell Quansah (88').
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It is an expression of solidarity and a tribute to the unique fan culture Under the Cross: Bayer 04 Leverkusen make a special statement with the "50 Years of Fan Clubs" jersey. To mark the founding of the "First Fan Club 1976 Leverkusen", which was followed by many more over the years right up to the present day, the Bundesliga club is commemorating 50 years of passion with this new jersey. Highs and lows, successes celebrated together as well as defeats suffered are manifested in this piece of white fabric, a symbol of unwavering identification with the Werkself.
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