Bayer 04 honorary captain Stefan Kießling was one of 14 candidates to receive a certificate on Tuesday evening for the successful completion of the 'Management in professional football' course. The 38-year-old was part of the first year of the programme started by the German Football League (DFL) and the German Football Association (DFB) two years ago.
"The course was very interesting and lively from the first day because it covered the broadest range of areas and subjects. The focus was not just on the transmission of knowledge but also the intensive exchange of information with each other," said Kießling who moved into the sporting management at the Werkself after ending his playing career in 2018 and today he is responsible for coordinating the senior squad.
The Bayer 04 honorary captain was on the course alongside former players including Marcel Schäfer, Christian Gentner, Thomas Kessler and Sascha Riether. The second year of the programme started in October 2021.
The executive committee of the European Football Union (UEFA) has approved the reform of European club competitions from the 2024/25 season. UEFA has come to an accommodation with the critics of the reform of the Champions League decided in April.
The new format of the Champions League, which Bayer 04 CEO Fernando Carro worked on as a board member of the ECA, envisages an increase of 32 to 36 participants with the competition played according to the so-called 'Swiss model'. However, the original idea of two of the four additional places being allocated according to a five-year ranking of the club's was rejected. In a compromise, these two additional places will go to the countries whose teams perform best in the previous European competition season. In addition, the number of qualifying games will not increase from six to ten but instead to eight.
Werkself defender Jonathan Tah enabled a large number of children to enjoy a very special experience last weekend: The 26-year-old, who has been an ambassador for the DFB Egidius Braun Foundation for three years, invited a group of children from the KITZ Hopp Children's Cancer Centre in Heidelberg to the PreZero Arena. The children were able to watch the Werkself win 4-2 at the TSG Hoffenheim stadium and enjoy the ensuing celebrations of qualifications for the Champions League. .
"It's always great to bring joy to children. This time there was the opportunity as the game was played close to Heidelberg," said Tah, who has supported the partnership between the DFB Foundation and the KITZ Hopp Children's Cancer Centre in Heidelberg since 2019 as part of the 'Children's dreams' campaign. "We will definitely do the whole thing again in the future."
The crowning moment of an impressive season was absent in the end. The Bayer Giants Leverkusen, recently hit hard by numerous injuries, lost out in the promotion race for the basketball Bundesliga on Tuesday night. In game three of the semi-finals they suffered a 74 to 62 defeat against Tigers Tübingen at the Ostermann Arena. As the previous two away games in Baden-Württemberg were lost the third defeat in the best-of-five format now ensures the Giants remain in second division of the basketball Bundesliga.
Just twelve days after the head-to-head in the league, the Bayer 04 Women again entertain Turbine Potsdam at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. In contrast to the 3-0 win on Bundesliga Matchday 9, this time it is not about picking up three points. On Friday, 22 November (kick-off: 18.00 CET) it is all about going through to the quarter-finals in the DFB Pokal. Werkself TV will broadcast the match live and exclusively via a free stream.
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The brand-new Bayer 04 Fanzone in the South Stand at the BayArena has opened for all Werkself fans. The official launch of the 700 square metre plus state-of-the-art interactive shopping and world of experience on Wednesday afternoon followed an exclusive event the night before. The symbolic starting shot was made by special honoured guests before several hundred fans were able to gain their first impressions of the numerous products and interactive facilities – and the response has been very positive.
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Twelve Werkself players have been selected for their national teams in the final international break of the year, with the Leverkusen's international players competing in the final group matches in the UEFA Nations League, in qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. We round up all the results involving Bayer 04 players here.
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Five players in the Bayer 04 Women squad have been selected for the Germany U23s for two international fixtures. That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Tuesday afternoon.
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Bayer 04’s Bundesliga game at home to St. Pauli on Saturday, 7 December will be the next district matchday of the season, with the district of Hitdorf being the stage for numerous activities in the week building up to the fixture against the promoted side.
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