At 30 years old, the Bayer 04 Lions Club is the oldest kids' club in the Bundesliga and can look back on three decades full of excitement, experiences and bright-eyed children. Since 1995, the Lions Club has been an integral part of the Bayer 04 family, offering the youngest fans their own platform to experience the Werkself up close.
Members benefit from various privileges and can take part in a range of activities, walk out with the players or cheer on the Werkself directly in the stadium.
In Lukas Hradecky – who moved to AS Monaco in the summer – the Lions Club can look back on a patron who was a true role model for the children both on and off the pitch. An idol that the youngest fans could look up to. With his friendly, down-to-earth manner, he will remain unforgettable in this role. He was the first Lions Club patron to celebrate a league and cup double together with his ‘Lions’ - an experience that many children will remember forever.
Dear Lukas, thank you for your service, your approachability to the children and your great commitment to the Lions Club!
Mark Flekken, also a goalkeeper, is taking over as patron, following in the footsteps of numerous well-known predecessors such as René Adler, Stefan Kießling, Lars Bender and Julian Brandt. The Dutchman stands for values such as team spirit, down-to-earthness and reliability. These qualities perfectly reflect the spirit of the Lions Club and make him an ideal patron. Flekken is himself a family man, which is another reason why he is the right person for the role. The Lions Club is delighted to officially introduce him during the Members' Matchday against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846.
The patron of the Lions Club acts as an ambassador for Bayer 04's youngest fans. He stands for closeness, openness and enthusiasm. His tasks include accompanying events and attending activities such as the Christmas party, Easter egg hunt and readings. In addition, he conveys the club's core values to the children and serves as a positive role model. With his open manner and positive attitude, Flekken will quickly fill this role with life and bring a lot of joy to the kids.
About the Lions Club:
The Lions Club has had more than 70,000 members over the past 30 years. Currently membership stands at almost 7,500 children, making the Lions Club one of the largest youth clubs in the Bundesliga. 765 delighted young fans have already been allowed to walk out hand-in-hand with the Werkself first-team players. During the tenure of nine patrons to date (Bernd Leno, Julian Brandt, Kai Havertz, Lars Bender, Stefan Kießling, Dominik Kohr, René Adler, Lukas Hradecky and Mark Flekken), the Lions Club has also loudly supported Werkself away from home. Since 2007, the kids have already made more than 50 trips to other stadiums to cheer on their idols.
In addition to its existing events, the Lions Club plans to further expand its presence and create new, exclusive promotions and modern offerings for home and away games – and beyond. After 30 years full of history and enthusiasm, the Lions Club continues to evolve and remains a central part of the Bayer 04 family.
Bayer 04 are back at the BayArena! Under the slogan “One day. Two teams. One club.”, the Leverkusen stadium grounds will be transformed into a world of experiences – with a wide range of exclusive activities both on and off the pitch. Keep track of all the highlights in our blog for the 2026 season launch.
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Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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When Afonso Moreira arrived for his interview with bayer04.de, he had to take a deep breath first. Asked how the morning session had gone, the 21-year-old replied with a slight smile: “Tough. Intense.” That’s really sums up the workload for the Werkself so far at the training camp in the Weimarer Land region. Head coach Carles Martínez and his team demand hard work, team spirit and the determination to improve every day. Those are values Moreira wholeheartedly identifies with – and the Portuguese player has not only taken them to heart, but also permanently noted in the form of a tattoo.
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