Sports presenter and Schalke fan Ulli Potofski will be buried in the “Schalke Fan Field” not far from the arena. Among the more than 100 mourners is the head of Borussia Dortmund.
Sports presenter Ulli Potofski has been buried in Gelsenkirchen. The urn of the Gelsenkirchen native and Schalke 04 fan was shaped like a soccer ball and, in accordance with his last wishes, was solemnly buried at the “Schalke Fan Field.”
The communal grave field is part of the Beckhausen-Sutum cemetery not far from the soccer stadium. Schalke legend “Stan” Libuda is also buried there. The ceremony for Potofski began at 11:04 a.m.
More than 100 guests attended the funeral service, including Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, Schalke’s former supervisory board chairman Clemens Tönnies, and former sports presenter Werner Hansch. The Steigerlied, an old song sung by miners in the Ruhr region, was sung at the grave. Fans brought flags and scarves with them. Potofski died of leukemia on August 2 at the age of 73. He started working for WDR in the 1970s. At the end of the 1980s, he helped develop the Bundesliga program “Anpfiff” for RTL. From 2006 onwards, he worked as a presenter and commentator for Sky, then still known as Premiere. Several Bundesliga clubs expressed their condolences after his death. Potofski was considered one of Germany’s most popular sports reporters. FC Schalke 04 and VIVAWEST extend partnership Two partners, one region: After three years of collaboration, FC Schalke 04 and VIVAWEST are entering the next round. The housing company, headquartered on the former Nordstern coal mine site in Gelsenkirchen, has once again signed the joint contract ahead of schedule, which is now valid until 2029.
The joint history of Schalke and VIVAWEST began in the 2021/2022 season under special circumstances, when the company quickly decided to support the Royal Blues and became their main sponsor. This commitment has long been considered a historic part of Schalke’s club history.
“The extension of our partnership with VIVAWEST is much more than a formal decision for us – it symbolizes genuine solidarity,” explains Matthias Tillmann, CEO of FC Schalke 04. “As two traditional companies that have always spoken the language of this region, we share a deep understanding of the people, their history, and their values. This bond forms the basis of a special partnership in which we will continue to work together in a spirit of trust in the future.“
Uwe Eichner, Chairman of the VIVAWEST Management Board, on the partnership: ”When Schalke 04 approached us in February 2022, it was quickly clear that we wanted to help. In three days and three nights, we found a solution together – not out of calculation, but out of conviction. For us, this commitment was never just sponsorship, but an expression of our deep connection to the Ruhr region. The fact that we are now extending the partnership in the long term shows that VIVAWEST stands reliably alongside Schalke 04 and alongside our region – then as now.”