Performance Centre

Youth section

Head of Academy: Jefta Bresser
Academy Manager: Slawomir Czarniecki
Head U8 – U15: Jörg Bittner
Head of Coaching U16s – U19s: Gerard Roca
Head of Coaching U8s – U15s: Sven Hübscher
Education manager: Frank Ditgens
Media officer: Liam Schardt

Management

Jefta Bresser

Date of birth: 02.02.1971
Place of birth: Wisch, Netherlands

The trained academy director and football coach took over as head of Leverkusen's performance centre in October 2023. Bresser came from Dutch second-division club De Graafschap, where he previously enjoyed five years of great success as head of the youth academy. Between 2005 and 2015, the 52-year-old was responsible for the individual development of youth players of all age groups at PSV Eindhoven, FC Fulham and Zenit St. Petersburg.

Rainer Fehl

The Kurtekotten Performance Centre has had a member of staff working full-time on the partnership with the parents of youth players at Bayer 04 since 2020.

Having a child at an academy for several years can be very demanding for the whole family. Bayer 04 are aware of that and have appointed Reiner Fehl in this role as an experienced and full-time educator.

Fehl: "Parents are a crucial and indispensable part of the sporting and personal development of young players within a football academy. They fulfil many important roles in and around training and matches. I can help them in many aspects in overcoming these complex demands."

This is not about interfering in parents' parenting work and methods but instead developing with them approaches that can help them and their children to combine elite sport, school and family and to define their role in matches and training.

Fehl: "We now have a comprehensive and interesting programme for the parents, and the partnership is going very well. We are particularly proud of several social projects from the parents that have been organised through the commitment of the parent representatives. We are on a very good path and no development is possible without the parents."

Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH understands the great responsibility involved in safeguarding children and young people. We must actively accept our responsibility for the welfare of the children and young people entrusted to our care and protect them against mistreatment, violence and discrimination in all its forms. Our child protection policy applies in all areas of the club and puts the protection and rights of children and young people centre stage.

A code of conduct sets out clear rules for dealing with children and young people. The guidelines include responsible, non-violent, fair caring behaviour both between adults and children/young people as well as between children and young people themselves. Demonstration of an unblemished criminal record is a prerequisite for all staff, support workers and coaches working with children and young people.

Child Protection Contacts (see below) and a child protection committee monitor the maintenance of the child protection policy and regularly update it.

In suspected cases, a task force works as required with external experts and authorities to ensure fast and professional resolution. All our staff act proactively to protect children and young people. A culture of not looking away and open communication is actively promoted. To this end, Contacts and channels for reporting information on suspected cases have been set up and communicated across the workforce.

The aim is to create an environment where children and young people feel safe and protected and are able to fully develop their (sporting) potential.

What happens when a case is reported?

The Child Protection Contacts assess the situation and decide what needs to be done. The report will be handled in confidence in every case. If there is an emergency then a small working group will be formed to quickly investigate the report. Bayer 04 keeps in regular contact with the person affected to keep them informed.

Contacts:

If children and young people feel uncomfortable or think that something is not okay they can report to the Bayer 04 Child Protection Contacts:

Frank Ditgens, Performance Centre educational director

frank.ditgens@bayer04.de

Jutta Wellmann, Performance Centre school coordinator

jutta.wellmann@bayer04.de

Jona-Marie Winkler, legal adviser

jona-marie.winkler@bayer04.de

Further support contacts:

Der Kinderschutzbund – Ortsverband Leverkusen

Local committee of the Child Protection Association

Bracknellstraße 32, 51379 Leverkusen

02171 581478 (office) / 02171 84242 (advice centre)

info@dksb-leverkusen.de

Jürgen Pfitzner

Qualified social education worker and family therapist, Cologne Child Protection Association

0163 5549782

j.pfitzner@kinderschutzbund-koeln.de

Safe Sport e.V.

Petersburger Str. 94, Eingang B, 10247 Berlin

0800 1122200

kontat@ansprechstelle-safe-sport.de

Kindernothilfe e.V., Team Sport und Kinderrechte

Charity organisation for children in need, team sport and children's rights

Düsseldorfer Landstraße 180, 47249 Duisburg

0203 77892806

sport@kindernothilfe.de

Stadt Leverkusen – Kinder und Jugend – Fachbereich 51

City of Leverkusen – Children and Young people – department 51

Goetheplatz 1-4, 51379 Leverkusen

0214 4065101

51@stadt.leverkusen.de

Children and Young people helpline:

0214 4065141

Elterntelefon:

Parents helpline

0800 111 0 550

Nummer gegen Kummer ( sowie Online-Beratung per E-Mail oder Chat)

Support number (both online advice via email and chat)

116111

Philosophy

Our young players receive optimum support through targeted individual and team training as well as interesting comparative games. At the same time we obviously hope that our young players develop to the maximum in an environment tailored to them to help them develop their full potential and make the step up to our own first team.

Coaching Academy

The Coaching Academy is responsible for the continual development of style of play and the training methods of the club combined with the club philosophy, the development of the game and best practice.

Bayer 04 coaches have the opportunity to use the ideas from the Bayer 04 Coaching Academy for themselves and their development.

Trials

Bayer 04 offer open trials days for outfield players and goalkeepers for all football enthusiastic lads in Leverkusen and surrounding areas. If you would like to test your ability under the eyes of youth coaches at Bayer 04 and have the dream of playing for one of the youth teams at the Werkself then you can register for the training sessions at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre presented by BarmeniaGothaer.

presented by BarmeniaGothaer

At Kurtekotten

Teams

Youth section