"I really feel at home here straightaway, the facilities are brilliant. The players have great energy and have invested a lot of passion on the pitch," said Pätzold on his first day of coaching: "The atmosphere was very positive and I have a good feeling that our new coaching team will work well together. I'll be happy if it carries on like that over the next few days." The 44-year-old coach was joined by the new assistant Friederike Mehring as well as the second assistant Remzi Kahraman, up to now an individual coach with the Bayer 04 Women..
Some members of the squad were absent: Sylwia Matysik and Lilla Turányi, who were in action with their national sides after the end of the season, are still on holiday. Melissa Friedrich (torn ankle ligament), Delice Boboy (exams), Anne Moll (Wisdom tooth operation), Estrella Merino Gonzalez (injured) and Charlotte Voll (shoulder operation) also missed the first training session.
Katharina Piljić, the first summer signing for the Leverkusen women's team, made her first outing on the training ground. The midfielder from SGS Essen joined the training session alongside Louisa Remien (keeper), Ida Daedelow, Nina Hainke, Chiara Kaiser, Jana Lindner and Sena Fukumoto from the Bayer 04 youth ranks. The sextet have a chance to make a name for themselves over the coming weeks.
After a warm-up routine and a couple of passing drills in restricted space, Pätzold started off by having his new team work with the ball. The second part of the session followed with a game on half the pitch.
The first friendly is on Saturday 29 June against second division FSV Gütersloh (Kick-off: 12.00 CEST, Kurtekotten Performance Centre). After two more friendlies and a two-week break there will be a training camp in Katowice from 31 July to 5 August. That will be followed by another three friendlies against European opponents. The 2024/25 Bundesliga season begins at the end of August. The Werkself are in action in the second round of the DFB Pokal a week later.
The summer agenda for the Women's team can be found HERE.
The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
Show more
Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
Show more
The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
Show more
“Say hello to the Werkself!” – With this request, Loïc Bade gathers everybody in front of his GoPro: Including team-mates like Ibrahim Maza, Lucas Vázquez, Aleix Garcia and Ernest Poku, or Bayer 04 CEO Fernando Carro, head coach Carles Martínez, or even the reception team at the Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land. In between, there are glimpses of the pool area and the Werkself’s team quarters. Enjoy!
Show more
