
The 72 pages of the document describe the many sides of the ongoing work in the community and provides an in-depth insight into the different areas of social commitment. Subjects such as inclusion, volunteering, the interaction of the various supporters groups plus children and youth work are the key areas in the report. In addition, Bayer 04 Leverkusen also highlight aspects such as employee development, environmentally-friendly catering at the BayArena and Youth team development.
“The key point is the central question of our current and future corporate strategy: How do issues of the environment, society, fans, employees, players and partners of the Werkself influence our core business of football,” said Bayer 04 CEO Michael Schade in explaining the aim of the CSR report. He emphasised, “social responsibility - as is the case with the parent company Bayer AG - has a long tradition and practical implementation.”
The A4 brochure, in both German and English, and available online, presents a proactive view of Bayer 04 staff, fans, media as well as the multipliers in football. Under the rubric ‘Wir.04’, case examples, interviews and photo galleries document the great community feeling in and around Bayer 04 Leverkusen that is a driving force, concept and obligation for getting involved with the community to make a contribution to society in Leverkusen, the surrounding region and overseas as well. This clearly demonstrates the potential significance and power of football in making a valuable contribution to solving social challenges.

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 personal 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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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 midfielder Jonah Berghoff ahead of schedule. The Germany U18 international has signed professional terms with the club to 30 June 2030.
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Two months of preparation, five friendlies and the return of a familiar training camp location: After finishing fifth in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga last season, the Werkself will return to training on Tuesday, 23 June. Bayer04.de outlines the key dates in the 2026 summer timetable.
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With sixth place at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 ended a season in the top third of the table for the ninth time in a row. While the Werkself were narrowly eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Arsenal, the Black and Reds reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third season in succession. As in previous years, you once again have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app up to and including 11 June.
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