"The work of Heinz Heitmann made an important contribution to Bayer 04 being an established and successful member of the Bundesliga family. We are grateful for his decades of commitment and his close association with the club," said Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO.
Heitmann started working in Leverkusen in 1976 as the youth director and manager at Bayer 04. Shortly after that, he became the managing director of the overall club SV Bayer 04 with its football, boxing, fist ball, and ball and athletics sections. And in 1979, the year of promotion to the Bundesliga, Heitmann took over the post of head and director of the football section at the request of the then president Dr. Jürgen Schwericke.
In Bayer 04's first five years in the Bundesliga, Heinz Heitmann was the general manager responsible for almost everything at the club: Finance and budget planning, contract and transfer negotiations, licensing, stadium administration, pitchside advertising, training camps and much more besides. A man for all seasons who played a big part in the increasing professionalisation of the club structures in the first years in the Bundesliga.
When he ended his time as general manager in 1984, Heitmann carried on working in the Bayer works. Of course, he remained attached to football and Bayer 04. In 1992, he took over the voluntary role of managing the club's Veterans team, which was mainly made up from the promotion side of 1979. "Our work together lasted through the decades and they all remained Bayer lads," Heitmann once said. He led the Veterans team up to 2006 before handing over the reins to Michael Kentschke.
A regular visited to the stands at the BayArena and holder of an honorary season card, Heinz Heitmann watched Werkself home games until recently. He passed away in the night from Wednesday to Thursday at the age of 82.
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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