Manuel Hartmann, managing director of match operations at DFB GmbH & Co. KG, presented the trophy to Michael Meuthen from the Bayer 04 groundsmen at the 16th information meeting for groundsmen in Leipzig on Monday. Borussia Dortmund’s reserves were also honoured for the playing surface at the Rote Erde stadium in the men's 3. Liga.
“The Bayer 04 Leverkusen groundsmen did another great job, with a score of 9.03 out of a possible 10 speaking for itself. It’s a special achievement to be honoured for the fifth year in a row,” said Hartmann. “We hope that clubs will continue to strive for outstanding pitch quality in order to create the best possible conditions for attractive matches.”
After each league match, the team managers of the home and visiting clubs and the referees are asked to use the ‘Greenkeeping Tool’ to rate the quality of the pitch using a 10-point system. An overall Bundesliga table is compiled from the individual ratings. Last year, Bayer 04 won Pitch of the Year in the men's competition for the second time in a row for the turf in the BayArena, the third award for head groundsman Georg Schmitz and his team. This year, the Leverkusen pitch came second behind Leipzig's Red Bull Arena.
This evening was deeply moving: At a really special setting, Bayer 04 exclusively presented the specially produced documentary ‘Fierté Burkinabè’ ("Burkinabe Pride") about Edmond Tapsoba on Tuesday. For the preview at the BayArena, the parents of the Werkself player and other close companions travelled all the way from his African homeland Burkina Faso. The 45-minute film shows Tapsoba's extraordinary career from his beginnings in Ouagadougou to Leverkusen as well as the work of his foundation "Fondation Edmond Tapsoba", with representatives from Burkina Faso also present. Fans can watch the documentary free of charge on Werkself TV and YouTube from Wednesday night at 20:00 CEST.
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Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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The Werkself returned from the near one-month break in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga with a convincing victory at home. Roberto Pätzold's side beat SC Freiburg 4-1 on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Katharina Piljic, Estrella Merino Gonzalez, Cornelia Kramer and Carlotta Wamser ensuring a 13th win of the season at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. The Black and Reds, who are now on 40 points, move up to fourth place at least overnight.
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