Football that moves: our support for ‘Kicken mit Herz’

Football inspires millions - including us. Following our successful presence at this year's European Football Championship, where our ‘Backshop powered by Jochen’ products were enjoyed by box guests in all venues, we want to remain true to this sport in 2025, at least on a small scale. Our focus in the coming year will be on a project that is of particular importance to us: ‘Kicken mit Herz’ (kicking with heart).

This charity football match has been taking place every year since 2008, with the proceeds going towards supporting children with heart disease and their families. This event is organised by the University Heart Centre Hamburg under the initiation of Professor Dr Thomas Mir. Celebrities and medical professionals from the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) face each other on the square to achieve great things together. The proceeds go directly to paediatric cardiac medicine at the UKE and support projects that sustainably improve the care and treatment of young patients.

When sport and solidarity go hand in hand

We were already able to support the campaign with a financial donation this year. This experience has shown us how much can be achieved when social commitment meets a shared passion. This event gains its special charm from the fact that the sporting competition is only a decorative accessory. Following Professor Mir's principle ‘Helping is the greatest fun!’, the focus is on the enjoyment of everyone involved and the winners are always the children affected and their families. For this reason, we have decided to expand our commitment in the coming year and take on even more responsibility as one of the main sponsors. In addition to further financial support, we are planning additional measures to actively promote the event.

Football and social responsibility: a win-win situation

The positive experiences from the European Football Championships have reinforced our belief in the unifying effect that sport can have. We have seen that commitment can also make a contribution on a small scale. It is therefore a matter close to our hearts to combine this enthusiasm with our social responsibility.