Stuttgart Sport Teams
Stuttgart is a city of sport fans. The city was even named the European capital of sport in 2007! The most popular sport is certainly football, or soccer as it’s known in many other parts of the world. However, you can also check out games of American football, basketball, hockey, handball, and baseball and softball in Stuttgart and the surrounding area. We’ve highlighted the key local teams you should know about.
Football (Soccer)
VfB Stuttgart is actually a sports club with many teams, and in fact it’s the fifth largest sport club in Germany. However, the name is synonymous with the football (soccer) team. It’s easy to undertand why – they play in the first division Bundesliga and have have won the national championship five times (most recently in 2007), and the DFB-Pokal three times.
The team plays its home games at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. The seasons runs from the end of August to the end of May.
American Football
The Stuttgart Scorpions play in the first division of the German Football League. They were founded in 1982 and have made the move from second division to first division quite a few times as their performance has fluctuated. Their greatest success was reaching the German Bowl in 2007.
The Scorpions play in the GAZI Stadium in Degerloch, which is located just next to the Waldau U‑Bahn stop on the U‑7 and U‑8. The season runs from April to September, and the German Bowl is held in October.
Basketball
The MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg play in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first division of basketball in Germany. The club was founded in 1960 as DJK Ludwigsburg and played in the second division, but was promoted to the first in 1986. They got their current name in 2012 for sponsorship reasons.
The team plays in the MHP Arena in Ludgwigsburg, about 14.5 km (9 mi) north of Stuttgart. The season runs from September through April.
Hockey
The Bietigheim-Bissingen Steelers play in the 2nd division of the DEL, the German hockey league. The team was founded in 1981.
The Steelers play in the EgeTrans Arena in Bietigheim-Bissingen, a small town 23.5 km (14.5 mi) north of Stuttgart. The season runs from September through April.
Handball
TVB 1898 Stuttgart have played in the 1st division of the Handball-Bundesliga (the German Handball League) since 2014, after placing 3rd in the overall ranking. It was then they got their current name; they were founded in 2006 as Turnverein Bittenfeld 1898 e. V. or TV Bittenfeld, since they come from Waiblingen, a town 14 km (8.5 mi) to the northeast of Stuttgart, in Bittenfeld.
The team’s home arena is the Scharrena in Bad Canstatt, just across the Neckar River from Stuttgart proper. However, due to its restricted capacity, some of the games are held in the nearby Porsche Arena. The season is quite long, running from the end of August to June.
Baseball
The Stuttgart Reds comprises several teams, including men and women’s baseball and softball. The main men’s team plays in the top division of the Baseball Bundesliga Süd. The Reds got their start in 1986 in Feuerbach, then moved to Degerloch, and have been in their present home in Bad Cannstatt with TV Cannstatt since 1994. The season runs from the end of March to the end of June, with playoffs in July.