
After last year's successful launch, the campaign moves onto a second round. With the support of the European Football for Development Network (EFDN), the European Club Association (ECA) and the UEFA Foundation for Children, the project started at the tenth EFDN conference in Paris. Meinolf Sprink, Fan and Community Affairs director, represented Bayer 04 at the event. The focus of the week of action is social commitment, which Bayer 04 has been valued for over many years.
As part of the #MorethanFootball weeks of action, the participating clubs and foundations present their community projects and thereby underline social and community responsibility both on and off the pitch. The hashtag #MorethanFootball promotes the project in the world of social media to raise awareness of the extent of the commitment that football clubs, foundations and organisations provide throughout Europe. At the same time, it also makes many others aware of the need to be committed to the community.
Bayer 04 have worked for many years in different areas. In 1999 for example, the club was at the vanguard of providing a service for visually impaired fans. Wheelchair users have access to their own covered area in the South Stand at the BayArena. Bayer 04 have also been members of the Football Club Social Alliance for years and involved in Young Coach training designed to give teenagers and young adults the opportunity to become football coaches. To date, 1,400 Young Coaches have been trained in Colombia, Lebanon, Rwanda and in Jordan as well as in other countries. Moreover, Bayer 04 are also involved in regular events such as the 'Wir(04)helfen' days and the 'Einfach-Fußball-Cup' - a charity tournament for children and young people with disabilities, as well as presenting volunteering awards for the clubs in the area covered by the local football association, which is organised by the Bayer 04 Sportförderung gGmbH.

The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
Show more
After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
Show more
When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
Show more
To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
Show more