Erdal Celik, coach of the U12 and U13 teams, together with parents representative Ercan Karabulut, set up a private fundraising campaign. This has also been supported by Reiner Fehl, the parent liaison officer at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre. The call for donations was aimed at families of the Bayer 04 youth players, friends and acquaintances. "We knew from the start that we wanted to help. My family comes from one of the areas affected. Every type of support can be used out there," said Celik.
There was an overwhelming response to the aid programme: "We are grateful for all types of support. The readiness to help is really great within Bayer 04 and there was a massive response for our campaign in general," said the coach with emotion.
With €13,000 plus additional material donations, including winter coats from Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Celik and Karabulut set off for the region in Turkey hit by the catastrophe last Monday 13 March. Over five days, the duo visited affected areas to distribute the donations directly in the regions affected. The route covered several cities including Hatay and Gaziantep. "It's difficult to describe what we saw and experienced. It was emotional and dramatic at the same time but it was important for us to be able to support their families out there," declared Karabulut. "We were able to feel the gratitude from the families out there. But we also know that we can only make a small contribution. Nevertheless, we are proud that we got the campaign going," said Karabulut.
A second trip to Turkey to hand over further donations is planned for the summer.
Background:
The first earthquakes were on 6 February 2023 and they affected the south-east of Turkey and the north of Syria. The natural disaster has claimed 50,000 lives to date and it was one of the most serious earthquake disasters of all time. The fundraising campaign by Celik, Karabulut and Fehl continues and donations can be made at any time via the following email addresses:
Erdal Celik: erdal.celik@bayer04.de
Ercan Karabulut: ercankarabulut1975@gmail.com
Despite a major personnel shake-up in the summer, RB Leipzig have performed impressively this term. Ahead of matchday 15, coach Ole Werner's team are second in the Bundesliga with a three-point lead over their upcoming opponents Bayer 04. This Saturday, 20 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET), the Werkself are away to RBL who are strong at home. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
This year - for the third time - the parents of the Bayer 04 youth players from the U8 to U15 age groups once again took part in the WDR Christmas Miracle. Under the motto "Goals against hunger in the world - parents in goal!", they organised their own fundraising campaign to once again actively support the important WDR campaign. The sum of €3,420 was handed over at the Glashaus in Essen in the middle of the week during the live programme.
Show more
On Tuesday evening, Bayer 04's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer and its employees welcomed some very special visitors to the company's Christmas market at its headquarters in Wuppertal: Werkself players Robert Andrich, Mark Flekken, Loïc Badé, Jarell Quansah and Malik Tillman spent lots of time with Bayer 04 fans of all ages in the early evening – and also helped to serve drinks such as Glühwein (mulled wine) and delicious food.
Show more
The Leverkusen eSports players picked up just one point on Tuesday 16 December in the remaining three matches of the online preliminary round of Showdown Three in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. As a result, the #B04eSports team once again miss out on going through to the offline knockout phase and now head into the winter break.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen has always stood for ambition, development, and progress. In recent years, these values have been reflected not only on the pitch, but beyond it. The Werkself continues to grow — regionally, nationally, and now more than ever internationally — and the recent visit from a delegation of our newest international fan club, Bayer4Arab, is a powerful example of this journey.
Show more
