"It's been a long time for us without football," said U19 coach Sven Hübscher following the 75-minute first session of the New Year. "It's great to be back on the pitch."
The 42-year-old coach welcomed a new member of his coaching staff on Friday: The Spaniard Erik Roqueta, most recently head of the fitness section at Mexican top-flight side Chivas de Guadalajara, took charge of the running part of the opening session as the new fitness coach. Hübscher: "It's important for us to be able to bring in a man like Erik for the fitness area. The lads will be able to take a huge step forwards."
The first U19 training session was also attended by Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes and Thomas Eichin (head of the Performance Centre). In addition, Werkself head coach Gerardo Seoane with his assistants Patrick Schnarwiler and Alberto Encinas also looked in after the final pre-match training session for the first team.
The next session for the eldest youth group at the Werkself is tomorrow (Saturday). "The first two days are for the lads to get used to the ball and the pitch again after a four-week break," explained Hübscher. After a day off on Sunday, "it will really get going again from Monday."
The first friendly for the U19s is on Saturday, 15 January, against the SC Fortuna Köln U23 team. The match against the Middle Rhine League side at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre kicks off at 11.00 CET. The first match in the U19 Bundesliga West is away to Borussia Dortmund on the first weekend in February.
Calling all Werkself fans: The new Farbenstadt range is available now from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. This includes new T-shirts made of 100% organic cotton, zip-up hoodies and jogging bottoms in five different summer colours.
Show moreBayer 04 new signing Carlotta Wamser has been called up to the Germany squad for the Women's EURO 2025 finals in Switzerland. For the 21-year-old winger, who is set to join Bayer 04 from Eintracht Frankfurt for next season, it is the first participation in a big international tournament.
Show moreFollowing the end of the season for Bayer 04, a lot of Werkself players are currently on the road with their national teams. The Leverkusen players are involved in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League, qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and international friendlies. Read on for the latest news on international fixtures involving Werkself players.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen will be the first Bundesliga team to hold their pre-season training camp in South America. The 2024 Bundesliga and DFB Cup winners will be in Rio de Janeiro from 14 to 24 July. Under the motto "Esquenta!" ("warm up"), the Werkself will prepare for the new campaign at the training facility of Flamengo Rio de Janeiro, one of the most renowned and largest clubs in South America.
Show more