"With this step, we are looking to the future in women's football and taking a more structured and professional approach," explained Thomas Eichin, head of the Youth and Women sections. "With the new position of the sporting director we are filling the link between the youth teams and the Bundesliga squad and we want to increasingly promote young talent from our own ranks and take a longer term perspective of the squad. Achim Feifel, with his years of experience in youth and women's Football meets all the requirements for that. He's been at our club for three years, was regularly in touch with our junior teams as a Bundesliga head coach and he also has a very good network outside of the club."
Feifel has been head coach of the Werkself Women for three seasons. In his first campaign, the 57-year-old took his team to tenth place in the FLYERALARM Women's Bundesliga following the promotion season and the team also progressed to the semi-finals of the DFB Cup. The work of the football coach paid dividends the following year – the team achieved their best position in the league in the history of the club with a fifth-place finish. In the 2021/22 season, his side just missed out on getting to the cup final with defeat on penalties after extra time; and they finished seventh in the Bundesliga.
In his new role as sporting director, Feifel will be responsible for squad planning and development and scouting for the Bundesliga Women, the U23 Women's team plus the U17, U16 and U13 sides. "I'm very much looking forward to the new challenge and it is extremely important for our women's football section in my opinion. I will be taking on a future orientated area where we want to make structural developments in all areas to remain competitive. We want to discover young talent and develop our target of establishing a position in the top third of the Bundesliga table," said Feifel. He summed up his three years as head coach of the Bayer 04 Women's team: "I had an extremely positive time overall. I was incredibly well received at the club, felt supported at all times and always felt confidence in me. Working with the players and the whole team gave me a lot of pleasure."
Robert de Pauw (pictured above with Linda Schöttler) has been confirmed as Feifel's successor. The Dutch title-winning coach, who has signed for two seasons to 30 June 2024, won the top-flight in women's football in the Netherlands last term with FC Twente Enschede lifting the title in the Pure Energie Eredivisie Vrouwen. The 40-year-old was previously head coach of the Netherlands U17 Women's team as well as assistant coach to the female U23 and U16 national teams as well as the Achilles '29 Women's team (Eredivisie) and he also worked as Academy and Youth coach at NEC Nijmegen. De Pauw, who speaks English, German, French and Spanish in addition to Dutch, has a UEFA A licence.
"I'm very happy that we have found an ambitious and qualified coach in Robert de Pauw. He brings international experience with him from his previous jobs and he knows how to build and lead a young and hungry team," said Thomas Eichin about the qualified social worker. General manager Linda Schöttler added: "We are convinced we can continue the positive development of recent seasons and we look forward to a successful future."
For de Pauw, the post at Leverkusen is "a very attractive assignment. I'm very happy about the confidence shown in me and the opportunity to work at a top club with a young and ambitious team. It is a challenge I will approach with great motivation." De Pauw will begin his new role at the start of training on 4 July.
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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