To round off this year's #Morethanfootball Action Weeks a large number of the active clubs and associations are coming together for the 15th EFDN Conference, held virtually from 12 to 14 April, to exchange information and ideas on joint action and commitment.
With Meinolf Sprink (Director of Fans/Community), who is also on the EFDN management board, plus Jörg Kappenhagen (Head of Community Affairs), Matthias Adler (Organisational development/Community) and Florian Wolfrum (Memberships), Bayer 04 have four representatives at this years EFDN Conference. The diverse programme offers participants an insight into the way Europe's leading football clubs and organisations currently, and in the future, can develop and implement initiatives for community and social responsibility.
This year's conference is taking place virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. A varied programme with breakout meetings, open forums, practical workshops, monitoring and evaluation initiatives and round-table discussions offer optimum conditions for the exchange of information. The EFDN Conference is the biggest get-together of experts for community and social responsibility (CSR) in European professional football.
Bayer 04 have been an active member of the European Football for Development Network (EFDN) since 2015 and the network now has over 100 members across Europe pursuing the targets of promoting the power football as a tool for social development. To this end, the EFDN supports and advises its members and offers the exchange of opportunities, knowledge and experience at a European level to improve the quality and efficiency of national and local initiatives in the area of football for sustainable development. The #Morethanfootball Action Weeks are organised under the aegis of the EFDN.
The Werkself conceded a goal at home for the first time since the beginning of January 67 minutes into the game against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday. Jarell Quansah levelled late on for the final score of 1-1 to secure a point and avoid a first home defeat in six games. Bayer 04 were very critical of their performance after the game. The Werkself review.
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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 personalised 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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From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 on Matchday 24 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
A late goal secured a point for Bayer 04 at home to FSV Mainz 05 in a match that saw the Black and Reds dominant in the second half. Despite lots of possession, the Werkself initially found few gaps and fell behind after 67 minutes when Sheraldo Becker scored in a Mainz counter-attack. In the closing stages, Leverkusen threw everything forward once again and equalised through Jarell Quansah (88').
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