Separate in colours, united in cause: VfL, BVB and S04 help together

Separate in colours, united in cause: VfL, BVB and S04 help together

On the football pitch they fight against each other, but for better care for seriously ill people at the end of their lives they join hands: VfL Bochum, Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 met on Tuesday (4.10.) at the palliative care ward of the Protestant Hospital in Herne. On the facility’s 30th anniversary, they each donated 5,000 euros for the expansion of the ward from six to ten rooms.

The unusual football summit meeting on neutral ground was brought about by long-time FIFA referee Thorsten Kinhöfer. Kinhöfer has been volunteering for years as patron of the palliative care unit’s support association and launched the “We are palliative” campaign for the expansion of the facility in its anniversary year. More space is urgently needed because there is still a shortage of palliative care beds in Germany. There are 1,500 acute hospitals, but only 360 palliative care units and 260 inpatient hospices.

“I have been very lucky in my life and I hope it stays that way. But when you have to deal with death and dying because of a family member, maybe even at a young age, you realise how important this kind of care is,” says Kinhöfer, for whom the commitment to the palliative care unit has become a “matter of the heart”. He sees his task as opening doors, as with the three Bundesliga clubs Schalke 04, Borussia Dortmund and VfL Bochum.

Kinhöfer: “I didn’t have to beg and plead for long. Everyone was in immediately. That’s what counts.” Herne does not have a Bundesliga football team, so he is all the more pleased when representatives of the clubs sit next to each other in friendship to do a lot of good with their donations.

“FC Schalke 04 and its own foundation Schalke hilft! have a very clear focus. We want to be there for the people around us. That’s why it was a no-brainer for us to support “We are palliative” and the support association – and to do so in particular with our colleagues from VfL Bochum and Borussia Dortmund. Separate in colours, united in cause, as the saying goes. We are happy to stand alongside the Förderverein and make our contribution to its important work, which we appreciate so much.”

Christina Rühl-Hamers, a member of the Schalke board

“We are very happy to support the “We are palliative” campaign. It is a strong sign that all three clubs are participating together. Once again it becomes clear that the motto ‘Separate in colour, united in cause’ is especially valid when it comes to such important issues”

Ilja Kaenzig, spokesman for the management of VfL Bochum

“As an important social player in the city and the Ruhr region, one of the most important goals of our BVB Foundation ‘leuchte auf’ is to support local and regional projects and initiatives. For Borussia Dortmund, it was and is therefore a matter of course to join forces with local football to help “Wir sind palliativ” and the support association. Because: When it comes to health, there are no rivalries – only cohesion and a unique solidarity with which every difficulty can be mastered.”

Carsten Cramer, Managing Director of BVB and Chairman of the BVB Foundation

On the terrace of the palliative ward, Pastor Frank Obenlüneschloß thanked the association representatives for their support. The total donation of 15,000 euros will go towards the interior furnishings of the palliative care unit in order to create the most comfortable environment possible for patients and their relatives in the old and new buildings. The foundation stone for the approximately 2.5 million euro extension was laid at the end of August 2022. Completion is expected in spring 2023.