“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 European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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