What do logistics companies from Germany and German hockey teams have in common? Quite simply: in their “industries” both belong to the international top class. This also applies to XSTAFF GmbH and the Düsseldorfer Hockey Club (DHC), which have been linked to one another through sponsorship for years. An extremely successful collaboration that was only expanded for a long time a few days ago.
After the 1st women’s team of the DHC had already celebrated great successes in the last few years with the German Indoor Hockey Championship 2019 and the victory in the European Cup final in 2020, they only succeeded a few days ago with a 4-3 victory after a penalty shootout against the Mannheimer HC winning the German Field Hockey Championship for the first time. The first men of the club can also come up with a special success in 2021: The team around the coaches Dietmar Alf and Sebastian Folkerts rose to the first field hockey Bundesliga, where well-known opponents such as Uhlenhorst Mülheim and Rot -White Cologne wait.
For XSTAFF, as one of the main sponsors of the association, a good reason to expand the sponsorship with the DHC again, especially since another major sponsorship in the men’s area is about to expire. “Of course we are happy to help out in such a situation. The focus of our commitment is still the 1st women’s team, which we have been actively supporting for years,” says Bodo Knop, managing director of the logistics service provider, setting clear priorities.
However, not only the top athletes of the DHC should benefit from the significant increase in the budget and the long-term nature of the agreement, which dates back to 2024. Bodo Knop: “In Corona times, sports and leisure activities are an important means of motivating and moving people. Unfortunately, these areas of our social life are currently receiving little support. We want to set an example here.” In the opinion of the father of two, hockey as the most successful German ball sport, which is sometimes wrongly viewed as an elitist niche sport, can provide valuable services. Among other things, the first projects with child and youth welfare organizations are already being planned, reveals Bodo Knop. “With our commitment, we want to address young people in particular and open up new perspectives. If we can do that, our sponsorship has definitely paid off. “