
This year again promises very special highlights for all participants at the Simply Football (Einfach Fußball) benefit tournament for four special schools at the Ostermann Arena (formerly Smidt Arena) in Leverkusen. You can look forward to lots of play and fun as there will be a bouncy castle as well as an autograph session with our Bayer 04 pros. And our Bayer 04 mascot Brian the Lion will also be there to ensure a good mood. There is also a goal wall and big tombola where you can win great Bayer 04 prizes.
Simply football is a joint project between Bayer AG and Bayer 04 Leverkusen that is designed to help children and teenagers with mental, physical or learning difficulties have access to club football. Up to now over 20 agreements have been made between clubs in special schools.
Profits from the tournament will go to the Friends of Hugo Kükelhaus School and Friends of the Martin Buber School.
Participants include FK Austria Vienna, Werder Bremen and Simply Football teams with children and teenagers with mental disability. And, for the first time, our Lions Club will field their own team to play at this years benefit tournament special schools. Entrance is free. So come on down on 5 March between 10.00 and 16.00 CET to support the teams.


With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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