The funds from the 15th presentation of the Bayer 04 Volunteering Award are to be used, according to need, by clubs particularly affected by the two aforementioned events. The Middle Rhine Football Association (FVM) was given €10,000 for that purpose and the Lower Rhine Football Association (FVN) €5,000.
“While professional football has taken place over recent months, amateur football has often been called off due to the pandemic. The consequences of the flood disaster have further worsened the situation for the clubs,” explained Fernando Carro, CEO of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH and the Bayer 04 Sportförderung gGmbH. “The allocation of this year’s Volunteering Award takes account of these circumstances. We want to honour the commitment of as many volunteers as possible at the clubs in the two local football associations.”
This year’s award was presented at the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Greuther Fürth at the BayArena on Saturday, 4 December. That was part of the DFB campaign matchday ‘Danke ans Ehrenamt 2021’ (Thanks to Volunteering 2021), which Bayer 04 supported in a number of ways at the weekend.
As a result of the postponement of the 2020 awards due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the winners of the 2020 Volunteering Awards joined the two association presidents Bernd Neuendorf (FVM) and Peter Frymuth (FVN) at the event. That involved two clubs from the Middle Rhine Football Association Jugendsport Wenau 1957 and SC Sparta Bardenberg plus TuB Mussum 1955, a club from the Lower Rhine Football Association (FVN).
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Sportförderung gGmbH was founded in 2007 with the aim of promoting volunteering in football. 49 clubs from the Middle Rhine (FVM) and Lower Rhine (FVN) associations have received over €220,000 of financial support from the annual Volunteering Award to date.
There were celebrations among those in black and red at the RheinEnergieSTADION. On Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season, the Werkself beat 1. FC Köln 2-0 and registered their sixth successive win in the derby. Aleix Garcia put Bayer 04 in front after just seven minutes with a direct free kick. Leverkusen played with discipline and energy after that and didn't allow some fierce challenges to unsettle them. Patrik Schick made it 2-0 in the 86th minute, and Said El Mala's goal in stoppage time for Köln proved nothing more than consolation. Jonas Hofmann crowned the derby win with his 100th appearance for the club.
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Bayer 04 have won each of their last five competitive encounters with 1. FC Köln, and it's around seven years since their last defeat in the cathedral city. That said, the hosts are in strong form at home and will make it anything but easy for the Werkself at the RheinEnergieSTADION on Sunday afternoon (kick-off 15:30 CET). The Matchday News.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 2-0 win against Hamburger SV on Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.
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