At the 2013 European Championships in Boom, Belgium, the victorious German women’s team was wearing the Sterntaler logo on the back of their shirts. The logo appeared again at the World League Finals in Tucaman. This prompted questions among the spectators and other teams. Who or what was Sterntaler? Der Mannheimer Verein Kinderhospiz Sterntaler is a hospice for terminally ill children, located in Mannheim.
Die Danas’s connection with the hospice came about through their head coach Jamilon Mulders, after he had visited the facility while he was the German U21 men’s coach. Initially, the youth team had sponsored the hospice for children, visiting the children who lived there when they had a training camp at Mannheim.
When Jamilon became Die Danas coach he wanted the project to continue so, as Germany had no kit sponsor, the German coach decided to get the name of the hospice printed on the shirts. The German Hockey Association was happy to support a partnership with the hospice, so for the next few months, the German team wore the Sterntaler logo at all its matches and competitions.
The hospice, which first opened in 2004, is a non-profit organisation that looks after terminally ill children and offers support and counselling for parents and the wider family. The work at the hospice has touched the hearts of the German players and many of the team has visited the hospice, including a surprise visit by some of the team to the Sterntaler Christmas party.
Captain of the German women’s team is Julia Muller and she has been to visit the children on a number of occasions.
She says: “We are really pleased to be involved in the project and to help the Hospice for Children. A couple of children and parents watched some of our indoor games last year. It is great to see the children with a smile on their faces during the difficult times they have. We try to keep in contact and to visit as much as possible.
Julia Walter is team manager for Die Danas. She says: “This involvement with the hospice has helped to lighten the lives of the children. They now know more about hockey, and the players are able to give something back to those who are not on the sunny side of life.”
When the German team played in the recent 2014 World Cup in The Hague, they gave signed pictures of the team to the children in the hospice. These hung from the children’s walls for the duration of the tournament.
Talking about the charity, Jamilon says: “I was so inspired when I first saw the work of the hospice that I wanted to continue to be involved in it. I am so pleased that the women’s team is happy to support this great charity.”
