‘The Heart of Football’: Scholz & Friends and Flutlichtfilm’ Football Documentary On Cardiac Arrest

Creative agency Scholz & Friends have produced the documentary ‘The Heart of Football’ on sudden death by cardiac arrest in football with Flutlichtfilm for action alliance Team #Herzsicher.

The documentary will premiere on Sky, Thursday May 22nd, ahead of the German Cup (DFB) finale on Saturday.

The action alliance #Herzsicher behind the campaign consists of the Björn Steiger Foundation, the German Heart Foundation and the German Football Association.

In ‘The Heart of Football’, current and former national team players such as Jonas Hector, Robin Gosens, Sky expert Julia Šimić, and Daniel Engelbrecht, a former Stuttgarter Kickers player who himself collapsed on the pitch, open up about their experiences. Their insights are accompanied by footage from rescuers such as Dr Jens Kleinefeld and the football team doctor at 1. FC Köln, Dr Bettina Kuper.

President of the Björn Steiger Foundation Pierre-Enric Steiger said, “With this documentary and the commitment of the #Herzsicher team around the DFB Cup final, we want to put the topic of sudden cardiac death at the centre of public attention – with the aim of achieving the urgently needed increase in the resuscitation rate among the population.”

In addition to the documentary, the #Herzsicher team will be raising awareness around the issue of sudden cardiac arrest with a variety of campaigns for the DFB Cup final on May 24th 2025. Their aim is training clubs and companies to be able to intervene in an emergency. The first aid platform herzsicher.de offers free training for teams and companies alike.