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.
Attention, Werkself fans: the new Away Matchday Collection is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. It includes t-shirts, zip tops and jackets.
Show more
Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
Show more
Former Bundesliga and Germany keeper Manfred Manglitz, who was promoted to the Oberliga West with Bayer 04 in 1962, passed away on Monday at the age of 86.
Show more
The Werkself fixture list for the 2026/27 season in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga has been finalised. To kick off the season, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team travel to RB Leipzig between 21 and 24 August. The fixtures were announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday morning. The season will conclude with a home match on 23 May 2027 against newly promoted side Mainz 05.
Show more
