The annual event took place for the fifteenth time. The first Bayer 04 golfers to start included Fernando Carro, CEO, the two managing directors of TecArenaPlus GmbH Felix Duden and Ulrich Wölfer plus Dr. Karl-Heinrich Dittmar, medical director. And club representative Stefan Kießling plus the Werkself players Jonas Hofmann and Niklas Lomb also joined in. Markus Breglec, chief marketing and innovation officer, joined the event in the evening.
Other participants included several Bayer 04 partners plus former javelin world champion and current head of the Leverkusen sports college Steffi Nerius.
After a relaxed breakfast, the 80 participants made their way onto the course at the Leverkusen Golf Club at 11.30 CEST. They played a round of 18 holes with a shotgun start. The golf continued until late afternoon and was followed by an evening meal together to round off the day.
It was a successful day all round for club representative Stefan Kießling: "We had perfect conditions today: A brilliant course, great weather and top catering. Once again it was a very professionally organised tournament and it was real fun," he said before adding: "I've known a lot of them for fifteen years and the tournament is now an institution that you look forward to each year. And it's also great that so much money has been raised for a good cause at the end of the day."
A total of €17,000 was collected this year in aid of the Deutscher Kinderschutzbund Leverkusen. The donation was made up of the entry fees for participants and was added to by an auction in the evening with a number of partners donating prizes.
Kießling presented a cheque to Ingo Ende, CEO of the Deutscher Kinderschutzbund Leverkusen. Ende said: "As the Kinderschutzbund Leverkusen, we are very grateful to Bayer 04 and all supporters of the tournament today for the generous donation. We will be able to make optimum use of this money in different areas including counselling sessions with children who are in need and suffering mentally and physically. Thanks to your donation we are able to continue helping them.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
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