2. Bundesliga
Schalke and German Cancer Aid reunite
To mark the 50th anniversary of cancer charity Deutsche Krebshilfe - or German Cancer Aid - Schalke have released a commemorative, limited-edition shirt which the Royal Blues will wear in their Bundesliga 2 encounter against Greuther Fürth on Saturday.
The two entities originally teamed up in the 1978/79 season, when Schalke chose Deutsche Krebshilfe as their shirt sponsors to highlight the charity. The initiative by the then S04 president Günter Siebert came about after shirt sponsorship was first introduced into professional, top-level football in Germany.
The Miners announced that regular sponsors, SUN MINIMEAL and Heatrex, had agreed to allow for the name of the charity and Schalke's own foundation, Schalke hilft!, to feature on the front and sleeves of the matchday shirt this weekend.
"The shirt’s four colours – pink, white, light blue and blue – represent the four most common cancers among newly diagnosed patients in Germany," the club explained in an official announcement on their website. "Pink stands for breast cancer, light blue for prostate cancer, blue for bowel cancer and white for lung cancer. The kit is completed by blue shorts and pink socks, while four awareness ribbons in corresponding colours as a symbol of the fight against cancer are just below the collar on the back."
“We are incredibly pleased at Schalke to mark the 50th anniversary of this charitable organisation with this project and the fantastic special edition shirt,” club CEO Matthias Tillmann explained.