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.

U19: U19 DFB Nachwuchsliga

U17: U17 DFB Nachwuchsliga

U16: U16 Youth Cup

U15: U15 Regional League West

U14: U14 Youth Cup

U13: U13 Youth Cup

U12: U12 Youth Cup

U11 bis U8: individual

Frauen: Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga

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."

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.