Bundesliga club Darmstadt rename stadium in honor of cancer victim
Bundesliga club SV Darmstadt 98 have renamed their stadium the “Jonathan-Heimes-Stadion am Böllenfalltor” for this season to honor one of the club’s most loyal and prominent supporters.
Jonathan “Johnny” Heimes, a former German tennis prodigy who was diagnosed with cancer at 14 and died in March at the age of 26, served as an inspiration behind the Lillies’ remarkable ascent from Germany’s third division to the Bundesliga.
With his motto “You must fight on, nothing is yet lost,” Heimes launched an initiative that raised hundreds of thousands of euros for other cancer-stricken children during his lengthy battle with the disease. Darmstadt’s players had worn armbands featuring his motto for the past couple years, and when the club won promotion to the German top flight in 2015, Heimes was an integral part of the celebrations.
Now, six months after his passing, Darmstadt’s premium sponsor Merck have agreed to forgo their naming rights to the club’s home ground for one year to honor Heimes.
“We’re playing in Johnny’s living room now, which is a motivation in itself,” said Darmstadt captain Aytac Sulu. “We want to stay up again this season and this connection will spur us on even more. Every Darmstadt fan who identifies with us identifies with Johnny too.”
One of Darmstadt’s city trolleys will also pay tribute to Heimes, and the club’s kit sponsor, Software AG, pledged to make way for the logo of Heimes’ “You must fight on” initiative for one matchday in March on the anniversary of his death.
Darmstadt's first game at their newly named stadium is Saturday's Bundesliga match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Schönes Gefährt! Diese Straßenbahn wird ab morgen im regulären Fahrplan durch #Darmstadt fahren ? #sv98 pic.twitter.com/mLDyPKaFCE
— SV Darmstadt 98 (@sv98) September 5, 2016
