The award and the associated prize money are aimed at particularly committed clubs from the Middle Rhine (FVM) and Lower Rhine (FVN) football associations. Since 2007, Bayer 04 Sportförderung gGmbH has awarded the Volunteers Award, which has already provided 55 clubs with more than €250,000 in financial support. Last year, the prize went to SV Schlebusch 1923 e.V., Vorwärts Spoho 98 e.V. and DJK Rheinkraft Neuss 1914 e.V.. Once again this year, 46 clubs from both areas of the association applied.
This year's winners were honoured on Sunday, 3 December, during the Werkself’s Bundesliga home match against Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena by the advisory board, consisting of Fernando Carro (Bayer 04 managing director), Peter Frymuth (FVN president), Dirk Brennecke (FVM managing director) and Marc Adomat (Leverkusen city director).
“Volunteering is a fundamental component of football,” said Carro. “The voluntary work of each and every individual in sport conveys and promotes values that are indispensable for our society. The award is not just about recognising the winners. We also want to honour all other applicants for their day-to-day implementation of innovative projects and hope that numerous clubs and individuals will continue to get involved in the future.”
BSV Roleber 1919
BSV Roleber 1919 has looked ahead to the future with its sustainability concept and its numerous associated key topics. The concept pursues an innovative approach that goes far beyond a purely social commitment. This includes switching to fair trade products within the club, replacing old refrigerators, switching to LED lighting and setting up a sustainability working group.
TuS 05 Oberpleis
TuS 05 Oberpleis submitted a very comprehensive application. The ‘Fit for you and Planet blue’ exercise programme developed in collaboration with Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences played a major role in this. The aim of the programme is to offer sustainable and, above all, free outdoor sports activities. The prize money is to be used for new project ideas.
SV 1924 Glehn
SV 1924 Glehn runs various projects to promote the village community. One of these successful projects is ‘Hanna's Hope’ in Namibia. Funds generated to date and in the future are to be donated. Glehn's application in 2022 had already been very positive and the club had already won the Volunteers Award in 2011.
The Werkself face Manchester City for the very first time on Tuesday for Matchday 5 of the league phase in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League (kick-off: 21:00 CET). The hosts sit fourth in the standings and boast huge quality in attack, while Leverkusen are looking to improve their meagre record of just one win from the last 10 games away at English clubs. A key player in that regard could be Aleix Garcia, the former City midfielder who ranks highly in several passing metrics in the Champions League this season. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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The Werkself's next European trip takes them to the north-west of England as Kasper Hjulmand's side take on Manchester City on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET) on Matchday 5 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. As usual, we'll take you along on the #aCROSSeurope journey and report from Manchester. All times listed are in CET.
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The dress rehearsal in the Premier League for the match against the Werkself did not go well at the weekend. However, Manchester City are still unbeaten in the UEFA Champions League, the competition they won in 2023. In the first encounter with Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Pep Guardiola will be able to field just about his best line-up. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Will the Bayer 04 U19s take the next step towards their first appearance in the knockout stage of the UEFA Youth League in the away game at Manchester City? Coach Kevin Brok is well aware of this historic opportunity, but he's not about to start worrying about the maths: "We're not concerned with the question of what might be good enough. We invest everything we can and always aim for the maximum. That's our way." The game on this penultimate Matchday 5 of the league phase takes place on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 16:00 CET) at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. Werkself TV will be broadcasting the whole match exclusively for Bayer 04 club members live from 15:50 CET....
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€1,000 and food for a good cause: In keeping with the long-standing cooperation between Bayer 04 and the Tafel Leverkusen e.V. food bank, the U19s are also supporting the charitable organisation in the region. In addition to the generous cheque the team were able to donate to an organisation of their choice as a result of their participation in the UEFA Youth League, coach Kevin Brok's lads donated €500 worth of food - financed by their own team kitty. Ferdinand Pohl, Jesper Schlich and Co. also actively helped to stow the food in the Tafel's premises.
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