# Bayer 04 Leverkusen

> association football club in Leverkusen, Germany

**Wikidata**: [Q104761](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q104761)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayer_04_Leverkusen)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/bayer-04-leverkusen

## Summary
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a professional association football club based in Leverkusen, Germany, founded in 1904. It operates as a sports club devoted to soccer, structured with a team, coaching staff, and administrative personnel, and is owned by the pharmaceutical company Bayer. The club competes professionally and is recognized by its aliases, including "Die Werkself" and "The Company XI."

## Key Facts
- **Entity Type**: Association football club and professional sports team.
- **Inception**: Founded in 1904.
- **Location**: Headquarters and home venue located in Leverkusen, Germany.
- **Ownership**: Owned by Bayer.
- **Sponsor**: Siemens.
- **Home Venue**: BayArena.
- **Current Chairperson**: Fernando Carro (since July 2018), preceded by Michael Schade (2013–2018).
- **Current Head Coach**: Kasper Hjulmand (appointed September 2025).
- **Sport**: Association football (soccer).
- **UEFA Team ID**: 50109.
- **Transfermarkt Team ID**: 15.
- **Wikipedia Presence**: Sitelink count of 89, covering languages such as German, English, French, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and Arabic.
- **Social Media Reach**: YouTube channel "UCSMZmPVql528Cph9WPvt0GA" had 516,000 subscribers as of June 2025; Twitter account @bayer04fussball has over 440,000 followers.
- **Aliases**: Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, Bayer Leverkusen, TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Die Werkself, The Company XI, and various international names including拜耳勒沃库森 and Байер-04 Леверкузен.
- **Library of Congress ID**: n80069893.
- **VIAF ID**: 316878903.
- **Freebase ID**: /m/02hzx8.

## FAQs
**What is Bayer 04 Leverkusen?**
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German association football club located in Leverkusen. It is a professional sports team that includes players, coaching staff, and management, competing under the regulations of association football.

**Where is Bayer 04 Leverkusen located?**
The club is based in Leverkusen, a city in Germany. Germany is a sovereign state in Central Europe with Berlin as its capital and uses the euro as its currency.

**Who owns Bayer 04 Leverkusen?**
The club is owned by Bayer, a major company. It is also sponsored by Siemens.

**Who is the head coach of Bayer 04 Leverkusen?**
As of September 2025, the head coach is Kasper Hjulmand. He follows a lineage of recent managers including Xabi Alonso (2022–2025) and Erik ten Hag (2025).

**What stadium does Bayer 04 Leverkusen use?**
The club plays its home matches at the BayArena, which also serves as its home venue.

**What are the club's primary social media accounts?**
Bayer 04 Leverkusen maintains a presence on Twitter (@bayer04fussball), Facebook (bayer04leverkusen), Instagram (bayer04fussball), YouTube (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), TikTok (bayer04), Snapchat (bayer04snaps), and Threads (bayer04fussball).

**What is the significance of the name "Die Werkself"?**
"Die Werkself" is one of the club's aliases, translating to "The Company XI," which reflects its origins and ownership by the Bayer company.

## Why It Matters
Bayer 04 Leverkusen plays a significant role in the German and global sports landscape as a professional football organization. As a structured institution, it contributes to the local economy in Leverkusen and the broader German economy through sponsorships, merchandise, and matchday revenue. The club fosters community engagement and athletic development, functioning as a key representative of German football in international competitions such as those organized by UEFA. Its strong digital presence, with hundreds of thousands of followers across platforms like YouTube and Twitter, highlights its ability to maintain a global connection with fans, reflecting the sport's universal appeal. Furthermore, its ownership structure links it directly to a major global corporate entity, illustrating the intersection of industry and sports.

## Notable For
- Being founded in 1904 and maintaining operations for over a century.
- Being owned by the Bayer company, earning the nickname "Die Werkself" (The Company XI).
- Having a succession of high-profile head coaches, including Rinus Michels, Christoph Daum, Jupp Heynckes, Peter Bosz, and Xabi Alonso.
- Maintaining a verified YouTube channel that grew from approximately 39,500 subscribers in 2021 to 516,000 by 2025.
- Having a Wikipedia footprint spanning 89 different languages.
- Possessing a vast array of digital identifiers across platforms like Weibo, Zhihu, TikTok, and Fandom.
- Competing in top-tier leagues, with a documented league or competition history starting in 1979.
- Being based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

## Body

### Identity and Structure
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is an association football club, a classification defined as a sports club devoted to association football (soccer). As an organization, it is distinct from a mere team in that it encompasses a broader structure including a coaching staff, players, administrative personnel, a trademark, and a sports physician. The club is classified as both an association football club and a professional sports team. It operates under the rules and regulations of the sport, contributing to the global football landscape. The club is recognized by numerous aliases across different languages, including Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, and international variants such asバイエル・レヴァークーゼン (Japanese), Байер-04 Леверкузен (Russian), and拜耳勒沃库森.

### Location and National Context
The club is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany. Germany, the country of origin, is a sovereign state in Central Europe with a population of over 83 million and Berlin as its capital. The nation operates as a federal parliamentary republic and uses the euro as its official currency. Leverkusen serves as the specific geographic anchor for the club, where it utilizes the BayArena as its home venue.

### Governance and Ownership
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is owned by the Bayer company. The corporate governance of the club includes a chairperson role, which has been held by Fernando Carro since July 2018, succeeding Michael Schade who served from October 2013 to June 2018. The club also lists Siemens as a sponsor. This corporate backing underpins the club's operational stability and its "Company XI" identity.

### Sporting Leadership and History
The club has a documented history of managerial appointments, reflecting its evolution in professional football.
- **Rinus Michels** served from July 1988 to April 1989.
- **Christoph Daum** managed the team from July 1996 to October 2000.
- **Jupp Heynckes** led the club from July 2009 to June 2011.
- **Heiko Herrlich** was head coach from July 2017 to December 2018.
- **Peter Bosz** took over in December 2018 and served until March 2021.
- **Hannes Wolf** managed the team briefly from March 2021 to June 2021.
- **Gerardo Seoane** coached from July 2021 to October 2022.
- **Xabi Alonso** served as head coach from October 2022 to May 2025.
- **Erik ten Hag** is listed to start in July 2025.
- **Kasper Hjulmand** is appointed as the preferred head coach starting September 2025.

### Facilities
The primary venue for Bayer 04 Leverkusen is the BayArena. This facility serves as the home stadium where the team competes. The club's administrative headquarters are also located in Leverkusen, centralizing its operations within the city.

### Digital Presence and Social Media
Bayer 04 Leverkusen maintains a robust digital footprint across multiple platforms, reflecting its global brand reach.
- **Twitter**: The account @bayer04fussball is verified, with follower counts growing from approximately 419,000 in 2020 to 441,795 by early 2023.
- **YouTube**: The verified channel (ID: UCSMZmPVql528Cph9WPvt0GA) has seen significant growth, rising from 39,500 subscribers in July 2021 to 516,000 by June 2025.
- **Facebook**: The official page is `bayer04leverkusen`.
- **Instagram**: Active under `bayer04fussball`.
- **TikTok**: Username is `bayer04`.
- **Snapchat**: Accessible via `bayer04snaps`.
- **Threads**: Username is `bayer04fussball`.
- **LinkedIn**: The company profile is `bayer-04-leverkusen`.
- **Weibo**: The verified Chinese account is `BayerLeverkusen1904` (拜耳勒沃库森).
- **Zhihu**: Topic ID 20081539, referenced as "勒沃库森（Bayer 04 Leverkusen）".

### Global Recognition and Identifiers
The club is cataloged in numerous international databases and knowledge systems, ensuring its recognition in the global information ecosystem.
- **Wikipedia**: The club has a significant presence with 89 sitelinks in languages ranging from Afrikaans (af) and Arabic (ar) to Vietnamese (vi) and Chinese (zh).
- **Sports Databases**: It is listed on Transfermarkt (ID: 15), UEFA (ID: 50109), Soccerbase (ID: 468), and Opta (ID: 164).
- **Library and Archive IDs**: 
    - Library of Congress Authority ID: n80069893.
    - VIAF ID: 316878903.
    - Freebase ID: /m/02hzx8.
    - Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID: topic/Bayer-Leverkusen.
- **Other Identifiers**: 
    - BBC Things ID: be635de8-c92e-47be-a456-68219c8c99a7.
    - Fandom Article ID: football:Bayer_04_Leverkusen.
    - Museum Digital ID: 267647.
    - France 24 Topic ID (French): bayer-leverkusen.
    - Google Play Store ID: Bayer_Leverkusen.

### Competition and League Participation
The club has a recorded history of participation in leagues or competitions, with data indicating involvement starting in 1979 (League or competition Q82595). This long-standing participation underscores its stability and presence in professional football.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. [Source](https://www.transfermarkt.com/-/mitarbeiterhistorie/verein/15)
3. Transfermarkt
4. [Source](https://www.bayer04.de/en-us/news/bayer04/erik-ten-hag-is-new-bayer-04-head-coach)
5. [Source](https://www.bayer04.de/en-us/news/bayer04/bayer-04-appoint-kasper-hjulmand-as-new-head-coach)
6. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
7. BBC Things
8. Quora
9. YouTube API