It all started with the home game against FC Köln (0-1) in the middle of March when the Werkself played in a cream white special shirt. The limited edition shirt was sold out within a few hours of going on sale. The proceeds from the 2,000 shirts went to Ukraine aid locally in Leverkusen. In cooperation with the City of Leverkusen, the community foundation allocated the funds to regionally active bodies. The joint derby shirt campaign involving Bayer 04, Barmenia and JAKO was just one of many activities where the Werkself made a stand for peace.
In addition, shirts and jackets from the away game at Bayern Munich (1-1), signed by Bayer 04 players Jonathan Tah and Florian Wirtz, were auctioned. The four-figure proceeds went to the donation fund at the Leverkusen community foundation.
Fan groups and ultras have got involved in recent weeks. Practical donations, including from Bayer 04 members of staff, plus all sorts of relief supplies have been collected and then transported to Ukraine with trucks and vans in several runs.
And the relief effort continues: In the last home game against Hertha Berlin (2-1) the Nordkurve12 Fan club again collected monetary donations in four figure sums to be used for purchasing supplies for Ukraine. On Good Friday, in liaison with the Workers' Samaritan Association (ASB), these will be taken to the Polish Ukrainian border to be used to support medical transport.
Up to now, around 1,000 Ukrainian citizens, mostly women and children, have arrived in Leverkusen. They are being looked after by the City and private individuals. Leverkusen is currently preparing for the arrival of more refugees. The sports hall on Görresstraße, in the immediate vicinity of the BayArena, is to be converted into emergency accommodation. The primary aim is to provide accommodation for the refugees and give them clothing, food and daily essentials but also to ensure integration into kindergarten and school life.
Bayer 04 is organising the integration of Ukrainian schoolchildren into the Bayer 04 Soccer School and the ‘Fußball bewegt’ campaigns. This gives the youngsters the opportunity to get involved in regular physical activity with the Black and Reds.
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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