That means this weekend’s matches could have been played. But the German Football Association (DFB) has reacted to the political decisions by postponing the forthcoming Bundesliga matchday for U19 and U17 sides.
Like the DFB, the West German Football Association (WDFV) has also cancelled the matchday for junior competitions at the weekend. For Bayer 04, this decision affects the U15s (U15 Regional League West) plus the U14, U13, U12 teams who are all due to play in the youth cups in their respective age groups. The U14 and U13 sides go into the enforced break as league leaders.
While the U12 to U19 postponements are due to decisions at association level, Bayer 04 have cancelled the club’s own U8 to U11 fixtures after internal discussions. That means all the youth teams at Bayer 04 now go into a four-week break in football.
In times of increasing infection rates and contact bans there is a need – as in the lockdown earlier in the year – for alternative training in the form of individual sessions. The youth section at Bayer 04 is already looking at possible options.
“We want to continue to support and develop the lads despite the absence of full training sessions. Of course, health comes first. We are working all the time to provide options for the youth players that take account of the development of the pandemic and at the same time ensure we are able to live up to our role as providers of education and development,” explained Thomas Eichin, the head of the Bayer 04 Performance Centre. “We also always see every change as a chance to focus in the immediate future on aspects that perhaps do not get the same attention in ‘normal’ day-to-day training.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
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