Hexenkessel, Waldi and more: what makes the TTBL locations special

Traditional teams, performance centers, table tennis legends and much more: the clubs in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) each have their own unique identity. We have compiled some special features of the eleven locations.

Borussia Düsseldorf

The heart of German table tennis beats at Borussia Düsseldorf: As a traditional club, Borussia with its 60-year history is the flagship in German table tennis. The ARAG CenterCourt venue has been the home of the club since 1994 and since then fans have experienced numerous exciting matches and a multitude of emotional victories in the table tennis stronghold. Since 2006, the site has also been home to the German Table Tennis Center, which serves as a national base for the men's and women's national teams as well as a full-time boarding school for the German Table Tennis Association and has already produced numerous Bundesliga players. The initiator and driving force was Hans Wilhelm Gäb, who has since been appointed honorary president of the DTTB.

1. FC Saarbrücken TT

From department to independence: Until 2011, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT belonged to 1. FC Saarbrücken, whose footballers currently play in the 3rd league, as is well known, and was one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1966. The independence finally marked the beginning of an era of success that continues to this day. In 2010, FCS was promoted to the TTBL, finished fifth directly in its first year, and has since established itself among the top teams and been rewarded with titles: twice Saarbrücken won the German Table Tennis Cup (2012, 2022), once each the German Championship (2022) and the Champions League (2023).

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen

One of the most important addresses in European junior table tennis can be found in Ochsenhausen: with the Liebherr Masters College, the TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen established a world-class talent factory in 2012. Top talents from all over the world are trained here and further developed at partner clubs - always with the aim of bringing them into the TTF's TTBL team. And with considerable success: today's TTBL players Hugo Calderano, Simon Gauzy, Yuto Muramatsu and numerous others were formed at the LMC.

Post SV Mühlhausen

Narrow, loud, explosive: With the Post-Halle at the historic Kristanplatz, Post SV Mühlhausen has probably the most atmospheric arena in the German Table Tennis League. Since 1998, it has been extensively renovated and has developed into a gem that offers space for a maximum of 426 fans - no wonder, then, that home and guest players regularly speak reverently of the "witches' cauldron". And even outside the Bundesliga, the hall is regularly packed: Almost every day, Erik Schreyer and the Post coaching team are on site, training with players of all ages in both amateur and competitive sports.

ASV Grünwettersbach

ASV Grünwettersbach has been playing in the TTBL since 2016 and has since developed not only into a permanent fixture, but also into an important training location. Back in 2017, the Karlsruhe Institute of Table Tennis (KITT) was founded - modeled on the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) - where ASV's Bundesliga players and numerous other professionals from around the world train, as well as junior performance groups and schoolchildren and young people who have just started playing table tennis.

TSV Bad Königshofen

Mizuki Oikawa, Yukiya Uda, Jin Ueda: world-class players from Japan are always drawn to the small town of Bad Königshofen in the Rhön-Grabfeld district of Lower Franconia, which has a population of 6,000. This is made possible on the one hand by the excellent relationship with partner Shakehands, which has been offering online table tennis courses since 2014. On the other hand, Japanese coaching legend Koji Itagaki, who joined the club in 2016 and has been an indispensable part of the team ever since. Itagaki's children Koharu and Akito also play successful table tennis: Akito already debuted in the TTBL and switched clubs in 2022 for the time being to gain experience; Koharu recently became a two-time European champion.

SV Werder Bremen

More than soccer: SV Werder Bremen not only maintains a successful soccer team, but is also extremely successful with other departments. The table tennis team has been a fixture in the Bundesliga since being promoted again in 2007 and celebrated the German championship in 2013 with the lineup of Chuang Chih-Yuan, Adrian Crisan, Paul Drinkhall and Constantin Cioti. The chess team, the eSports department and the athletics department can also look back on various DM titles and/or cup victories. Werder's women's handball team will be back in the 2nd Bundesliga in 2023/24.

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

Without the name Duda, TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt would be hard to imagine in its current form: Homegrown Benedikt Duda has been with the club since 2003, has been in the TTBL since 2014 and is also the big hope for staying in the class in the new season. Brother Frederik Duda coaches the team, father Heinz Duda is the team's sports director, and numerous other family members actively help out in the club and on match days.

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau

Grenzau occupies a very special position on the German table tennis map. The six-time German champion is closely intertwined with the Wellness Hotel Zugbrücke - both were founded by the current TTC Honorary President Manfred Gstettner - which, with the associated table tennis school, has been offering what is probably a unique service in Germany for almost five decades. Several professional coaches take care of the players from all performance levels on site.

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell can look back on a rich history and numerous top players, but one in particular stands out: Olympic champion (1992) and two-time world champion (1989, 1997) Jan-Ove Waldner played a total of seven years for the East Hessians and led the team to the first play-off participation in the club's history (2008). However, the Fulda team has so far waited in vain for the big hit: they have been runners-up three times (2014, 2015, 2017), runners-up four times in the German Table Tennis Cup (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) and runners-up once in the ETTU Cup (2010).

1. FSV Mainz 05

Alongside Werder Bremen, 1. FSV Mainz 05 is another Bundesliga soccer team with a table tennis division that plays in the TTBL. However, while the Hanseatic team has been established in the elite division for years, the Mainz team is the league's youngster - after all, the Rheinhessen team is facing only its second season in the TTBL. "With great perseverance, they have worked hard for and earned this great success in recent years," FSV club and board chairman Stefan Hofmann had said in the context of the 2022 promotion. Last season, FSV did respectably, but still had to settle for twelfth place.