“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.
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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