Hard work for the new season was the order of the day on the third floor in the West Stand: 19 members of next season's U19 squad underwent thorough investigations and tests carried out by the fitness and physio team in the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehab and training centre.
The oldest youth team under the Bayer Cross completed the diagnostic tests over the course of the day in groups of two and three. An electrocardiogram at rest, as a basic medical check, was at the start. That was followed by a workout on the training area at the Werkstatt with motivational music. That was followed by several drills to measure hip strength before functional ability was assessed using the FMS as well as Y-balance tests, two diagnostic procedures that used different parameters to measure coordination, mobility and stability with the help of a standardised succession of movements. The young players ended the tests on the treadmill with spiroergometry assessing their stamina levels.
In a repeat of last year, the performance checks for the U19 players were carried out ahead of the four-week summer break. "This means we can get straight into training and we need less time to get up to speed," said head coach Sven Hübscher. "We can also design the training plans for the lads on a more individual basis according to their current performance levels." At the same time, it is important his charges use the first two weeks of the summer break to recover so that they are able to recharge their batteries ahead of the forthcoming season.
In the final week of training there is a friendly on the agenda in addition to the performance tests. The Hübscher team play PSV Düsseldorf on Thursday 9 June. The game at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre kicks off at 19.30 CEST. The final full training session is on Wednesday while all the players will complete a final health check with the Werkself physios on Friday. The return to training for the new season is set for 11 July.
Will the Bayer 04 U19s take the next step towards their first appearance in the knockout stage of the UEFA Youth League in the away game at Manchester City? Coach Kevin Brok is well aware of this historic opportunity, but he's not about to start worrying about the maths: "We're not concerned with the question of what might be good enough. We invest everything we can and always aim for the maximum. That's our way." The game on this penultimate Matchday 5 of the league phase takes place on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 16:00 CET) at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. Werkself TV will be broadcasting the whole match exclusively for Bayer 04 club members live from 15:50 CET....
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€1,000 and food for a good cause: In keeping with the long-standing cooperation between Bayer 04 and the Tafel Leverkusen e.V. food bank, the U19s are also supporting the charitable organisation in the region. In addition to the generous cheque the team were able to donate to an organisation of their choice as a result of their participation in the UEFA Youth League, coach Kevin Brok's lads donated €500 worth of food - financed by their own team kitty. Ferdinand Pohl, Jesper Schlich and Co. also actively helped to stow the food in the Tafel's premises.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 3-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg on the 11th matchday of the Bundesliga 2025/26...
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss against SGS Essen on the 11th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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