In Germany, as in such a lot of different nations, football transcends game and is woven into the material that brings neighborhoods in combination, integrates numerous communities, and builds a way of nationwide id. 1. FC Union Berlin is case in point of that.
Born in a working-class district, its group id was once reinforced thru gestures that at the moment are mythical. That very same grassroots tradition of collective care is as soon as once more resonating, this time in a in all probability sudden box: clinical hashish.
Union has selected avaay Clinical as its new major sponsor, a Berlin-based corporate aiming to destigmatize hashish and provide it as a device for group well being. And in that connection, you’ll be able to see the similar power: to maintain the folks, some thru football, others thru medication.
Simply as Union Berlin has lengthy set itself with the exception of the “gadget golf equipment,” accepting a hashish sponsor these days way difficult some other roughly dominance: the taboo, reminding the general public that the plant could also be a part of on a regular basis lifestyles.
Gemeinsam für mehr Aufklärung und Verantwortung:
avaay Clinical, Marke der 2018 in Berlin gegründeten Sanity Team und spezialisert auf den therapeutischen Einsatz von hochwertigen medizinischen Cannabisprodukten, ist ab sofort Best-Sponsor des 1. FC Union Berlin.
— 1. FC Union Berlin (@fcunion) August 27, 2025
avaay Clinical is a part of Sanity Team, a German conglomerate based in 2018 and devoted to growing cannabinoid-based merchandise. Its strong point is high quality clinical hashish, designed for the remedy of persistent illnesses and as a substitute or supplement to standard treatments.
Since its advent, the corporate set itself a transparent purpose: to destigmatize the usage of hashish as medication, presenting it beneath skilled supervision and subsidized by way of scientific proof. That venture could also be mirrored in its alliance with Union Berlin, the use of football’s visibility to open debates, generate dependable data, and protected its function.
Amongst Sanity Team’s buyers are primary figures from German sports activities akin to Mario Götze—International Cup champion with the nationwide group in 2014—former world André Schürrle, and ex-footballer Dennis Aogo, in addition to figures from tune and leisure. Their presence brings now not most effective capital but additionally cultural legitimacy in an area the place the plant nonetheless carries taboos.
What do hashish and football have in not unusual?
The partnership between Union Berlin and avaay Clinical is going past a industrial settlement: it has an academic objective. The plan is to increase data campaigns, debates, and tasks that inspire a extra considerate and accountable public dialog about clinical hashish, in accordance to T-On-line.
For Finn Hänsel, founder and CEO of avaay Clinical, the relationship with sports activities provides a novel bridge to achieve very numerous audiences. “We’re very happy to proceed being a part of the Union circle of relatives and to make use of the shut connection between sports activities and well being for schooling,” stated the manager.
At the different aspect, the membership itself emphasizes that the jersey now not most effective conveys football id, but additionally carries a message of duty. In step with Bernd von Geldern, Union Berlin’s advertising director: “Teaching in regards to the smart use of clinical hashish inside the framework of physician‑supervised treatments, in addition to the hazards of wrong use, is the most important worry. … we enhance avaay Clinical in informing other folks higher and thereby decreasing prejudices,”
On this approach, the An der Alten Försterei stadium won’t most effective be the degree for objectives and chants, but additionally for a broader social dialog: that of the function of clinical hashish in on a regular basis lifestyles.
What Union Berlin is doing is historical in Ecu skilled football; by no means prior to has a Bundesliga membership had a hashish emblem as its major sponsor. However within the historical past of football, it’s now not the primary time.
In 2022, in Paraguay, Atlético Loma Pucú changed into the first membership on this planet to be subsidized by way of a clinical hashish emblem. The settlement was once with Kokuesero, a farmers’ cooperative that distributes hashish oils and lotions for free in rural communities. In contrast to different Ecu instances related to CBD or beginner groups, the Paraguayan enjoy was once pioneering. It was once a sponsorship with a powerful group, activist, and healthcare center of attention, the use of the jersey as a device for social exchange greater than as a industrial settlement.
Lately, hashish makes its approach into the Bundesliga and seeks to destigmatize the plant in areas of top visibility, appearing that the football box could also be a degree for social debate. From a farmers’ membership in Paraguay to the Bundesliga, marijuana unearths an best friend in football to wreck down prejudice and declare its position in well being, sports activities, and on a regular basis lifestyles.
This text was once first revealed on El Planteo.
Symbol by way of Peter Gribat & 1. FC Union Berlin e.V., Public area, by means of Wikimedia Commons, edited background.
