The aim of the rebranding is to create a consistent, modern brand identity, both nationally and internationally, with a focus on a young target audience.
To achieve these goals, all locations will in future be brought together under one umbrella. In addition to its tried-and-tested programmes in Leverkusen and the surrounding region, Bayer 04 also run Bayer 04 Football Academies abroad – for example, in the key target market of Brazil. Under the guidance of former player and club legend Paulo Sérgio, over 100 children are regularly trained by qualified youth coaches. All coaches are carefully selected and receive comprehensive training in Leverkusen beforehand, ensuring a consistent playing philosophy and training methodology.
The Academy’s aim is to provide a football environment that fosters the children’s personal and sporting development, whilst at the same time further raising Bayer 04’s profile in Brazil. The academies abroad are a key component of the club’s internationalisation strategy. Plans are in place not only for the ongoing expansion of the Academy, located on the Bayer AG site in São Paulo, but also for the prospective opening of further academies in Brazil.
In addition, the Leverkusen already have a Bayer 04 Football Academy in Guangzhou, China, where – also under the guidance of qualified coaches – around 60 children currently receive regular football training.
In Germany, Bayer 04 have provided football camps for children and young people for around 20 years. The Bayer 04 Football Academy, powered by BarmeniaGothaer, continues to be coordinated by former player Thorsten Judt. It offers holiday camps, day and weekend camps, as well as special day programmes on the first team home matchdays. The academy also has a presence at clubs in the surrounding area. Educational workshops are also part of the programme. The children are supervised round the clock by qualified football coaches, both on and off the pitch.
With the rebranding as the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the club is consolidating its global activities in youth development. With immediate effect, all national and international football schools, training camps and overseas academies will operate under a strong, unified brand umbrella. This step not only guarantees global consistency and high brand recognition, but also underlines Bayer 04’s global ambition to support football-mad children across national borders according to a unified philosophy.
Further information on the Bayer 04 Football Academy is available HERE.
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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