“We’re flabbergasted. We are really happy that this little initiative has proved to be so popular with the fans and the citizens of Leverkusen,” said Stefan Kießling, himself an amateur chef and also the patron of the book, about the huge success of the project. “Nobody believed at the beginning that the 3,000 copies would be sold out in three weeks.”
The idea that led to to the book came from two Bayer 04 employees: Anne Pleus (TecArena+) and Sabrina Räbsch (Marketing) initially asked colleagues to provide recipes to be able to cheer up members of staff working from home via the intranet. Pleus and Räbsch tried out the recipes, had professional photos taken and sorted the right layout. The book with spiral binding turned out to be a bestseller within a few days of going on sale both in the Bayer 04 shops and on the online shop.
It is all in a good cause. The proceeds from the book go in full to Tafel Leverkusen. €15,000 will be handed over on Friday 18 December. “The Tafel with its 7,100 people in need in Leverkusen is obviously going through a tough time due to the coronavirus pandemic. That’s why this donation is not only a real financial blessing for us but also motivates us to return to normality in the coming weeks and months,” said Dr. Adolf Staffe, chairperson of Tafel Leverkusen e. V., in paying tribute to the Bayer 04 initiative.
On the title page: The cookbook initiators Sabrina Räbsch (l.) and Anne Pleus (r.), patron Stefan Kießling (m.) plus Dr. Adolf Staffe (chairperson, 2nd left) and Reiner Endlein (deputy chair, both Tafel Leverkusen).
Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
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Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
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As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.
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The last competitive match of the 2025/26 season takes place at the BayArena on Saturday 16 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), where Hamburger SV are the visitors. At the pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand discussed the mindset and the approach for the crucial final game against HSV, among other topics.
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