Bayer 04 leave the training camp in Saalfelden on Friday afternoon 28 July heading directly to San Sebastian. Xabi Alonso will head straight to the town hall in his home town for a press conference along with the president of the Columbus Foundation Javier García to talk about the background to the match. For the Spanish World Cup winner, who returns to his hometown for the first time as a Bundesliga coach, the match will be a special game in many respects.
The Columbus Children’s Foundation has the mission of raising funds for research into rare diseases and to find treatments for these through gene therapy. The friendly against the Champions League team from La Liga is specifically part of the battle against spastic paraplegia 50 (SPG 50). This rare neuromuscular disease affects a very limited number of children with symptoms including developmental delay, mental incapacity and changes to or absence of speech.
Alongside the Columbus Foundation, the Asociación Guipuzcoana contra el cáncer will also benefit from the charity match. The organisation is involved in the battle against cancer.
There will be a family party at the campus of Viralgen on Saturday morning. Ahead of the friendly at the stadium, children will meet two Werkself players and two players from Real Sociedad. Immediately before kick-off. children from the foundation will accompany the two teams onto the pitch. The highlight of the day will be two kids who have recovered from SPG 50 taking the kick-off.
Anyone looking to support the Werkself at the game can do so: Tickets are available on the day at a cost of €20. There is a reduced price of €10 for children under 14. Alternatively tickets are available online HERE.
Proceeds from the match will go to the foundation as well as for a holiday camp in the Basque country for children suffering from cancer.
Bayer 04 will broadcast the match against Real Sociedad live on YouTube, Facebook and Werkself TV as well as on the club app. ESPN are showing the game live in America. In Spain the match will be broadcast by DAZN and Moviestar.
After Jens Nowotny was officially named a Bayer 04 honorary captain last weekend, the long-standing Werkself player is part of the Leverkusen delegation on the trophy tour to New York City next week from 11 to 14 September. In an interview with bayer04.de, the 50-year-old talked about his expectations ahead of the trip to the metropolis on the East Coast of the USA.
Show moreThe German Football League (DFL) has confirmed the dates and kick-off times for matchdays 6 to 12 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. Full details of the Bayer 04 fixtures.
Show moreMarkus Rehm, a long jumper at TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, won the gold medal for the fourth time in succession at the Paralympics on Wednesday.
Show moreThe fixture details for the second round of the DFB Pokal 2024/25 have been confirmed. The home tie for Bayer 04 against second division SV 07 Elversberg is on Tuesday, 29 October with the kick off at 18.00 CET (live on Sky). That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday.
Show more