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.
In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
Show more
Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
Show more
The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
Show more
The Germany U19 team were beaten 2-0 by record champions Spain in the final of the U19 European Championship in Wales. Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka (on loan at SV 07 Elversberg) were in the starting line-up and played the full 90 minutes.
Show more
