PS Karlsruhe LIONS

What PS Karlsruhe LIONS does

PS Karlsruhe LIONS, legally organized as PSK LIONS Basketball GmbH, is a private professional basketball club headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, that fields the first men's team in the BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga ProA — Germany's second-tier professional basketball league comprising 18 teams. The club is the basketball department of Post Südstadt Karlsruhe e.V., tracing its basketball tradition to 1961 and operating under the LIONS brand since a 2014 rebranding. Beyond the ProA roster, the organization runs approximately 10 youth teams (U10 through U18, male and female), four men's teams (Herren I–III plus the ProA first team), a women's team, and ancillary programs including the LIONS Girls dance team (Fast Forward) and the Einlaufkinder entry-children initiative.

The commercial operation spans four revenue streams: ticket sales (season tickets Dauerkarten at €160–€544 across five categories, single-game tickets via Ticketmaster, VIP hospitality packages, and group discounts of 25% for 9+ persons), sponsorship (anchored by title sponsor BARMER with approximately 80 additional partner companies), merchandise and fan-shop sales (shop.psk-lions.de), and livestream broadcasting through Sportdeutschland.TV. All home games are played at the Lina-Radke-Halle, a 1,500-seat venue opened in August 2021 adjacent to the historic Europahalle.

The underlying technology footprint is intentionally lightweight and typical of a regional sports club: a TYPO3-based website maintained by igroup Internetagentur, integrated online ticketing via Ticketmaster, livestreaming via Sportdeutschland.TV, and active social channels (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook) operated in part by federal voluntary service (BFD) staff. Customer segments span basketball fans across Baden-Württemberg, corporate sponsors seeking regional marketing reach, and youth athletes/families pursuing competitive development pathways (JBBL, NBBL qualification). The club's brand is unified under the #Karlsrudel community concept, positioning fans, sponsors, youth players, and supporters as a single "lion pride."

Name

PS Karlsruhe LIONS

Legal name

PSK LIONS Basketball GmbH

Website

https://psk-lions.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PS Karlsruhe LIONS is a private German professional basketball club (PSK LIONS Basketball GmbH) in Karlsruhe that fields a men's team in the BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga ProA, runs an extensive U10–U18 youth program, and earns revenue from ticketing, ~80 corporate sponsors led by BARMER, merchandise, and livestreaming at the 1,500-seat Lina-Radke-Halle.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Individual-Sport Clubs & Teams (Cycling Teams, Athletics/Track Clubs, Swimming Clubs, etc.) (MPAKABAD)

Keywords

• Professional basketball team
• Live sports entertainment
• Youth basketball development
• Corporate sports sponsorship
• Team merchandise sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlsruhe

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from single-game tickets, season tickets (Dauerkarten), and VIP hospitality packages for home games played at the Europahalle and Lina-Radke-Halle in Karlsruhe.
2. Sponsorship: Primary title sponsorship from BARMER (health insurance), along with approximately 80+ partner companies providing financial support in exchange for branding visibility, logo placement, and hospitality benefits.
3. Merchandise and Fan Shop: Sales of branded merchandise including jerseys, apparel, and accessories through the online fan shop (shop.psk-lions.de) and physical shop at games.
4. Livestreaming: Home games broadcast via Sportdeutschland.TV platform, generating revenue through viewership and digital subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PS Karlsruhe LIONS operates a professional basketball club whose first men's team competes in the BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga ProA, Germany's second-tier professional basketball league. The club sells live-game attendance through season tickets (Dauerkarten), single-game tickets, and VIP hospitality, complemented by a merchandise fan shop, livestreamed games via Sportdeutschland.TV, a comprehensive youth development program, and corporate sponsorship/hospitality packages.

Product overview

PS Karlsruhe LIONS operates a multi-tiered basketball club with the professional men's team (ProA) as its flagship product competing in Germany's second basketball division. The club offers a unified portfolio combining core ticketing and livestreaming products with supporting fan engagement modules including youth development programs, the LIONS Girls dance team, entry children experiences, fan sections, and VIP hospitality services. The Karlsrudel community concept unifies the club's brand identity across all offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KARLSRUDEL: The community and fan group representing the collective identity of the club, including fans, members, sponsors, and partners united under the lion symbolism.
• LIONS Girls
• Einlaufkinder

Products and services

• ProA Basketball Franchise (First Men's Team)
• Season and Single-Game Ticket Sales (Dauerkarten & Tageskarten)
• Official Merchandise Fan Shop
• VIP Hospitality Packages
• Youth Basketball Development Programs
• Livestreaming via Sportdeutschland.TV
• Corporate Sponsorship Packages
• Einlaufkinder (Tunnel Kids Program)
• LIONS Girls Dance Team Performances
• Gift Vouchers (Gutscheine)
• Löwenkäfig Fan Section Membership
• Basketball Camps

Quantifiable outcome

• Rapid league progression from 2. Regionalliga (2014) to ProA (2017) within 3 years

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BARMERcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Title sponsor and naming rights partner for BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga ProA. BARMER provides primary sponsorship funding and branding visibility as the league and team title sponsor. Their logo appears prominently on team jerseys and league materials.
• WilsoncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Official ball supplier for the team. Wilson provides basketball equipment and branding presence on the team's online banner and merchandise.
• AutodocminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Automotive parts retailer and sponsor. Autodoc provides sponsorship support and receives branding visibility on the website banner.
• igroup InternetagenturcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024TYPO3 web agency providing website concept and development services for PSK LIONS. Maintains and develops the club's digital presence including the official website.
• TicketmastercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Official ticketing partner for online ticket sales. Ticketmaster handles digital distribution of single game tickets and season passes.
• Sportdeutschland.TVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Official livestream partner for home games. Provides digital broadcasting platform enabling remote fan access to matches.
• Pkwteile.deminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Automotive parts retailer sponsoring the team with branding presence on website banner.
• BG Karlsruhe (historical)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Former cooperation partner (1993-2016) formed from basketball departments of PSK and FC Südstern. Partnership ended in May 2016 when the first men's team was promoted to ProB.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ETB Miners (Essen): ProA basketball club scheduled as a direct opponent. Comparable second-tier professional basketball operation with similar ticket, sponsorship, and youth-development product offering.
• HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim: ProA-side basketball club also based in Baden-Württemberg, making it a regional and product-category peer with overlapping sponsorship universe and fan base.
• VfL Kirchheim Knights: ProA-region basketball club in southern Germany with comparable size, professional-team operations, and Baden-Württemberg regional sponsorships overlap.
• ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES: ProA basketball club serving as a direct league peer. Comparable in scale, product mix (ticketed home games, sponsorship packages, fan merchandise), and youth-development programs.
• BBC Bayreuth: ProA basketball club in Germany's second-tier professional basketball league. Directly comparable on product (live basketball entertainment, season tickets, sponsor partnerships) and target market (regional German basketball fans).
• Tigers Tübingen: ProA basketball club with comparable size and regional Baden-Württemberg footprint. Competes for the same regional sponsorship and fan pool as PSK LIONS.
• Nürnberg Falcons: ProA basketball club competing in the same BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga as PSK LIONS. Directly comparable on league, ticket-product structure, and sponsorship-driven revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• FC Bayern München Basketball: Top-tier (BBL/EasyCredit Basketball Bundesliga) German basketball club. Sets the ceiling for what German basketball clubs can achieve in sponsorship, attendance, and media reach; comparable product but materially larger scale.
• Brose Bamberg: Historic BBL basketball club with strong youth-development tradition (similar to PSK LIONS) and established sponsorship model. Comparable category leader but operates in the top tier of German basketball.
• ALBA Berlin: Top-tier BBL club with EuroLeague participation. Comparable product (professional basketball entertainment, sponsorship, youth development) but operates at a larger European scale and in a more basketball-friendly market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwd0J4lYZnp1hey6ry73Jpg/about
• Facebookfacebook.com/PSKLions
• Instagraminstagram.com/psklions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PS Karlsruhe LIONS