
Thomas Eichin (Bayer 04 director of professional teams) on…
…the background to the decision: "The timing fits in perfectly with this important knockout match from our perspective. Now is the time to provide the girls with a great platform by moving it to the arena."
…the club's aims by playing the match at the BayArena: “Of course, we are hoping for great support from our fans. But it's not about setting records but rather giving our women a platform in this important match and thereby bringing them further centre stage. The team can hardly wait to play at the arena. We are very excited and hoping for a successful night on and off the pitch.”
…the sporting value of the match: "Against Essen it’s not about moving to the stadium but principally about us wanting to go through to the next round. It's a huge chance for the team to progress to the Pokal semi-finals. We definitely want to take that against Essen."

Robert de Pauw (Bayer 04 Women head coach) on…
…the first game for his team at the BayArena: "It's a big step in the right direction. It's great that the fans can now watch the Women at the stadium, particularly in a do-or-die cup tie. I see that as a great stage. We are hoping for lots of support from the Leverkusen fans."
…the influence of the venue on the approach to the game: "The players will be even more motivated than before by the attractive cup draw. As young girls, a lot of them dreamed of playing at a big stadium. That's finally happening now."
Elisa Senß (Bayer 04 Women captain) on…
…the significance of the decision for the team: "We are all really looking forward to being able to play at the BayArena. It's totally cool for our wishes to come true. The decision is a very special sign of the club being behind us women and supporting us."
…her anticipation ahead of the game: "My anticipation is already really big as I'm playing against my old club. I'm looking forward to the reunion with some familiar faces. That anticipation is strengthened even more by the fact we will be playing at the BayArena and hopefully supported by lots of fans. We want to take the chance of going through to the next round together."

Borja Iglesias (Bayer 04 signing) on…
…the match being played at the BayArena: "I really like women's football and am happy to support it. Playing the game at the BayArena is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen the team. I will definitely be there to watch the match."
…the significance of the decision: "It's an important sign and the right step to increase the profile for women's football and also to anchor it even more in the club than before."
Information on the Bayer 04 Women's DFB-Pokal tie at the BayArena is HERE.

This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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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 Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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