At 08:00 CEST on Monday morning, the journey began on the team coach from the BayArena to Rieden, some 500 kilometres away, set in one of Bavaria’s most beautiful landscapes. Following last year’s positive experience, the Leverkusen Women will be staying at the Hotel Gut Matheshof until next Sunday to lay the foundations for a successful new season. Before last year’s departure, Pätzold raved about the “fantastic conditions” there.
After arriving and having a light lunch in the afternoon, the first training session was already on the agenda at the training ground, a ten-minute walk from the hotel. With football tennis and various small-sided passing drills, Pätzold and his coaching team took it easy after the six-hour journey. A total of five further sessions on the pitch, as well as two stamina and yoga sessions, are scheduled before they leave. Thursday afternoon will be devoted entirely to team-building.
As the sporting highlight of the training camp, the Werkself are set to play a friendly on Saturday 18 July (16:00 CEST, Fenstertechnik-Weinfurtner-Arena in Rieden), consisting of four 30-minute halves, against Czech first-division side Slovan Liberec. Following the two matches against Mainz 05 (2-0) and PSV Eindhoven (0-1), this will be the Werkself’s third pre-season friendly.
Twenty-nine players have made the trip, including all eleven new signings from the summer: Justine Brandau (Feyenoord), Natasha Kowalski, Paulina Platner (both SGS Essen), Lobke Loonen (FC Utrecht), Lumbardha Misini (Servette), Marlene Müller (RB Leipzig), Carolin Simon (Bayern Munich), Maja Sternad (Werder Bremen), Paulina Tomasiak (Gornik Leczna) and Emily Wallrabenstein (Eintracht Frankfurt II), as well as Rafaela Borggräfe, who is once again on loan from Liverpool. The only player missing from the first-team squad was striker Amy Wrigge (torn cruciate ligament); in her place, goalkeeper Lea Egbers and Jana Lindner from the U23 team were included.
Away from the training ground too, the Bayer 04 Women are finding the conditions in Rieden ideal for intensive pre-season preparation. The Hotel Gut Matheshof is situated in the heart of a peaceful landscape with woods and meadows, between Regensburg (55 kilometres away) and Nuremberg (85 kilometres). The idyllic surroundings provide the perfect conditions for the team to focus on getting in the right frame of mind for the coming campaign.
Back in Leverkusen, pre-season preparations for the new Bundesliga campaign will pause for a week. The second phase of the preseason begins on Monday 27 July. There will then be just under four weeks until the start of the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season. The first matchday will take place between 21 and 24 August. The Werkself’s opponents will be confirmed on Thursday, when the German Football Association (DFB) publishes the fixture list for the 2026/27 season.
The new eSports season is just around the corner. The VBL Club Championship by WOW starts on Thursday 15 October (from 18:00 CEST). And, as every year, here’s an overview: What changes are there? What is staying the same?
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Bayer 04 record-appearance maker Rüdiger Vollborn invites you to another evening in the popular ‘Rudi lädt ein’ series: on Tuesday 10 November, in collaboration with Bayer AG, the focus will be on the Nazi period. The focus will be on football, Bayer 04 and the city of Leverkusen.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has secured a new network partner in Extreme Networks GmbH. The leading provider of AI-powered network automation has agreed a five-year partnership with the Bundesliga club, running until 30 June 2031. As part of this, the club’s existing Wi-Fi 5 infrastructure will be replaced by more than 400 Wi-Fi 7 access points, which are specifically designed to meet the requirements of a stadium with a high user density. The aim is to enhance the fan experience while optimising operational processes and security.
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New signing Miguel Gutiérrez has made a good start at Leverkusen and has promptly earned a nomination for Player of the Month in his first few weeks in the Bundesliga. He has scored one goal and provided three assists in four league games. The Spanish left-back has also brought some impressive stats with him to Bayer 04. Issue #56 of the Werkself magazine has taken a look at these figures. ‘Facts & Fun’ with Miguel Gutiérrez.
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With seven points, Mainz 05 are currently joint seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Bayer 04. In today’s head-to-head clash (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself must be particularly wary of the clinical Mainz strike duo. For Leverkusen fans who have left it to the last minute, there are still a few tickets available from the matchday ticket office. Those following the Black and Reds from home, on the other hand, have a choice: RTL is broadcasting the match on free-to-air TV, and Werkself Radio is also offering the expert commentary of former Bayer 04 player Falko Götz. Today’s matchday news.
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