The award and the associated prize money are aimed at particularly committed clubs from the Middle Rhine (FVM) and Lower Rhine (FVN) football associations. Bayer 04 Sportförderung gGmbH has awarded the Volunteers Award since 2007, which has already provided 58 clubs with more than €250,000 in financial support. Last year, the prize went to BSV Roleber 1919, TuS 05 Oberpleis and SV 1924 Glehn. A total of 33 clubs from both areas of the association applied.
This year's winners were honoured on Saturday, 7 December, during the Werkself’s Bundesliga game at home to St. Pauli at the BayArena by Fernando Carro (Bayer 04 CEO), Peter Frymuth (FVN president) and Hans-Christian Olpen (FVM vice-president). The advisory board, consisting of Carro, Frymuth, Christos Katzidis (FVM president) and Marc Adomat (Leverkusen City Director), had earlier selected the winners.
The entire matchday was organised under the DFB's annual ‘Thank you to volunteers’ campaign. All three clubs therefore also provided 10 people each for the pre-match flag ceremony. In addition, food donations can be handed over to the Leverkusen Foodbank in the new Bayer 04 Fanwelt in the south of the BayArena up to and including Monday, 9 December.
“Volunteering is a fundamental component of football and our society,” said Carro. “The award therefore not only serves to honour this year's winners. We also want to draw attention to all other people who do voluntary work. We very much hope that many people will once again volunteer for a good cause in the coming year.”
FC Germania Zündorf 1913 e.V.: The international inclusion tournament ‘Kick2gether EURO Cup’, which was held in the summer, was attended by renowned clubs such as Werder Bremen, 1860 Munich, Hannover, Basel, Breda and Eupen. The cooperation between the club's inclusion team and inmates from the Ossendorf prison was also honoured. The initiative regularly brings people together to play football.
ASC Loope e.V. 1954: Loope applied with its ‘ASC Green Kick’ project. In cooperation with schools and daycare centres, the project promotes the integration of girls and young people with a migration background into club life. It also makes a sustainable contribution to climate protection with the help of environmentally friendly measures.
Hastener Turnverein 1871 e.V.: Hasten submitted the ‘fulfilment offer’ for socially disadvantaged children and young people. In addition to football training, the programme also includes a hot meal on site, after-school care, tutoring and access to various leisure activities.
The Werkself conceded a goal at home for the first time since the beginning of January 67 minutes into the game against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday. Jarell Quansah levelled late on for the final score of 1-1 to secure a point and avoid a first home defeat in six games. Bayer 04 were very critical of their performance after the game. The Werkself review.
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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 personalised 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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From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 on Matchday 24 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
A late goal secured a point for Bayer 04 at home to FSV Mainz 05 in a match that saw the Black and Reds dominant in the second half. Despite lots of possession, the Werkself initially found few gaps and fell behind after 67 minutes when Sheraldo Becker scored in a Mainz counter-attack. In the closing stages, Leverkusen threw everything forward once again and equalised through Jarell Quansah (88').
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