The Werkself players Niklas Lomb, Arthur, Clara Fröhlich and Charlotte Voll got to grips with rolling pins and cookie cutters together with ten children from the self-help organisation 'Chance! Wuppertal' and ten youngsters from the Löwenclub. First of all, they kneaded big balls of dough, then rolled them out before cutting out tasty Christmas biscuits and decorating them with a sweet glaze and colourful chocolate sprinkles. In the thick of it was mascot Brian the Lion who was greeted with high-fives from the children wearing cyan blue Barmenia aprons.
The four players each shared one or two tips from their own childhood with the young Christmas bakers. "We need more flour," said Voll and Lomb reminded his fellow bakers with a smile that they should not "eat so much raw dough." The players were happy to pose for photos and sign autographs on aprons – as well as answer the many questions from the inquisitive children.
"It's great fun. As a family we always like baking together before Christmas. But it's great here with the kids too and you can see how happy they are," said Lomb and he talked about a "really successful event."
A golden oldie by Rolf Zuckowski provided a suitable atmosphere in the Christmas bakery for young and older bakers alike. In addition to football motifs there was even a Brian the Lion mould – and an exciting challenge: Fröhlich and Arthur competed in tandem with one of the youngsters to see who could cut out more Brian the Lion biscuits and put them on the prepared baking tray in 30 seconds. The winners were the Werkself women's team player and her teammate Henry.
"It was great to be with the children," said Fröhlich: "The music also provided a Christmas atmosphere." She added with a smile: "I still very much like baking biscuits at home and not just at Christmas."
Arthur had a rather different experience. "Baking biscuits was really good but also a bit difficult for me at the start," he admitted: "We never did that when I was a child so it was an unusual challenge for me. I will definitely have a go at it at home soon." Voll, a goalkeeper with the Bayer 04 Women's team, was also happy about the "many exciting questions" from the children and her assessment was: "Being with the children was a great bonus for everybody involved. After the event, I'm gradually getting in the mood for Christmas."
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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