
“It’s a great evaluation of our work,” said Thomas Eichin, youth director at Bayer 04, in assessing the report from Audit Company DQS. “It demonstrates that the members of staff and colleagues have got a lot right at Kurtekotten in the past.”
Bayer 04 are particularly proud of the concept of the host family in the area of child protection. The club from Leverkusen were the first and, to this day, are the only Bundesliga side to rely solely on this form of accommodation. “This individual care is something very special and, in our opinion, very important for the development of young players who are sometimes a long, long way from home,” said Frank Ditgens, head of education at Bayer 04.
The Audit Company DQS specialises in audits and the certification of management systems and processes. In addition to the refurbishment of the bistro at Kurtekotten in Black and Red and new additions to the clubhouse, special attention was paid to the cooperation between the host families, the parents and Bayer 04. The focus was on the appreciation and transparency of the parties with constant attention to the protection and personal development of the young players who are trained and educated at Kurtekotten.
“We work out individual plans with each player for their playing and personal development here with us. Our educational team have also created structures over the years for youth players from abroad to enable maximum integration. It’s very well-conceived and substantial,” explained Eichin.
Ditgens is also proud of the certificate and the performance of the club: “The consistently top ratings and the results clearly reflect our holistic education system as well as our individual accommodation of our youth players with host families.”
The assessment of the academy was made online via video chat due to the coronavirus pandemic.


The penultimate Bundesliga matchday of the calendar year marks the end of an eventful first half of the season for the Bayer 04 Women. After seven wins, one draw and four defeats from the first twelve games of the season, coach Roberto Pätzold's team can go above Werder Bremen in the table with a win on Friday, 12 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET).
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The third showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26 kicks off for the Leverkusen eSports team this Thursday, 11 December (live on the B04eSports Twitch channel from 19:00 CET). In the online preliminary round, the Black and Red will once again take on six previously drawn opponents for a place in the Top 16 and the associated entry into the offline knockout round, which will take place at this third showdown on 19 December in Cologne. Showdown One winners Bayer 04 will face FC St. Pauli, who won the second showdown last month, among others. The lowdown on first three opponents in this online preliminary round.
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Alejandro Grimaldo, of course! With his late equaliser (88') in the Champions League clash against Newcastle United, the Spaniard rescued a point for the Werkself, who took the lead through an own goal by Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes (13') but went with two goals for the visitors scored by Anthony Gordon (51') and Lewis Miley (74'). It was the third draw for Bayer 04 in the current 2025/26 campaign on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase.
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The Werkself will be looking to continue their run in the Champions League against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET). The two victories without conceding a goal at Benfica (1:0) and Manchester City (2-0) will hopefully be followed by a win at home at the BayArena. Against the English side, who have a player with a Black and Red past in their ranks, the way to victory could be through efficiency in attack and quick transitional play. The latter in particular has recently caused the Magpies problems away from home on the European stage. Fans can also get the stylish matchday sticker for their Sound of Dreams tour pass at the Bayer 04 Fanwelt. The matchday news.
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For the first time ever, Bayer 04 have reached the knockout phase of the UEFA Youth League. At the end of the league phase, the Leverkusen U19s secured a 2-1 home win against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December. Montrell Culbreath scored before half-time and Ferdinand Pohl doubled the lead after the restart in the clash with the English side. The UCL youth competition continues at the beginning of February with the Round of 32, which will be played away from home without a second leg.
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