Six clubs from the Bundesliga and the second division (VfL Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen, VfB Stuttgart, FC St. Pauli, SC Paderborn 07 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen) took part in the 'sustain Club' sustainability certification and as part of that process Bayer 04 were awarded the 'sustain Club silver’ certification.
With the achievement of this certification, the sextet of clubs assumed a pioneering role in professional sport. In cooperation with the Swiss organisation 'sustainable///sports', a pilot phase was held to develop the 'sustainedClub' standard, which was certified by the independent expert organisation DEKRA. It was the first recognised sustainability standard and orientation point in professional football.
"As a club, we are very happy about achieving silver status. I'd like to thank everybody who made a contribution to that," said Fernando Carro, chairman of the board at Bayer 04. "In this assessment by the experts, we not only recognise an award but we also value it as an additional incentive to continue to develop in the area of sustainability."
The six participating clubs have accepted the challenges relating to sustainability in professional football and are committed to a better future in the three areas of sustainability (economy, ecology and community). The standard involves the establishment of a CSR and sustainability management system, sustainability analysis and the identification of concrete improvement opportunities.
Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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The next footballing highlight is just around the corner: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of the tournament, will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico and feature 48 teams for the first time. Bayer04.de has all the latest on the Werkself players called up to represent their countries.
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While the majority of the Bayer 04 Women are enjoying their summer break, nine Werkself players will be on duty for their national teams in the coming days. Three of them are competing for a place at the World Cup, while six are involved in two friendlies with the Germany U23 team.
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