Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband

What Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband does

Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband e.V. (DBV) is the officially recognized national federation for baseball and softball in Germany, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main and registered as an eingetragener Verein under Amtsgericht Mannheim. It governs the full competitive pyramid: the Deutsche Baseball Liga (DBL) with 12 clubs in North and South divisions, the 2. Bundesliga with 37 clubs across six divisions, the Softball Bundesliga with 13 women's clubs across two divisions, and 10 national teams spanning U12 through Herren and Damen. Its flagship digital property, baseball.de, serves as the central platform for schedules, standings, real-time statistics, news, and live streaming of all DBL matches via an integrated multi-view player; live boxscores are powered by the third-party Easyscore scoring system, and weekly fan voting drives the Batter and Pitcher of the Week awards.

The federation's product surface extends beyond competition into cultural content: the Innings Magazine (a German-language baseball culture publication), the bi-weekly Walk-off Talk podcast, The Walk-Up video series on player personalities, and active social media channels on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. Strategic positioning is anchored on an Olympic participation target at Los Angeles 2028 and international visibility through the Baseball Champions League Europe, with the PACE by dobetr mental performance partnership providing athlete development services to clubs.

DBV is a registered non-profit and does not publicly disclose financial figures. Revenue is generated through tiered corporate sponsorships (Communication, System, Cultural Engagement, and Performance Partners), media rights associated with live streaming on its owned platform, and partner programs that monetize visibility, VIP access, tickets, and youth-program engagement from April to September. The leadership team is small and includes the President (Jürgen Elsishans), Generalsekretär (Markus Jaisle), Leiter Spielbetrieb (Philipp Würfel), and Marketing & Kommunikation lead (Marcel Eßers), with C3 marketing agentur as the technology partner for the website and Easyscore as the scoring/statistics infrastructure partner.

Name

Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband

Legal name

Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband e.V.

Website

https://baseball.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband is Germany's officially recognized non-profit national federation for baseball and softball, governing the Deutsche Baseball Liga (12 clubs), 2. Bundesliga (37 clubs), Softball Bundesliga (13 clubs), and 10 national teams, and operating the baseball.de platform for live streaming, real-time statistics, fan voting, and cultural content targeting German fans, sponsors, and players.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Baseball League Operations

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Baseball & Softball Leagues (MPAKAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC), Sport-Specific Amateur Leagues & Circuits (Non-Professional) (MPAKACAJ), Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Sports Streaming Platforms (MPAKAOAA)

Keywords

• Professional baseball league
• National sports federation
• Softball league operations
• Athlete development programs
• Sports event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorships at various tiers (Communication Partner, System Partner, Cultural Engagement Partner, Performance Partner) providing brand visibility through livestreams, social media, on-field branding, and exclusive marketing rights.
2. Media Rights: Live streaming of games generates viewership and associated advertising revenue. The league offers visibility through its digital platforms.
3. Partner Programs: Partnership opportunities offering visibility, branding, VIP access, tickets, and engagement with youth programs and family audiences from April to September.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband (DBV) operates the Deutsche Baseball Liga (DBL), Germany's top-tier professional baseball league with 12 teams across North and South divisions competing from April to September with over 150 games per season. The federation also governs the 2. Bundesliga (37 teams in 6 divisions), the Softball Bundesliga (13 women's teams), and 10 national teams from U12 to senior level, providing the official digital platform at baseball.de for live streaming, real-time statistics, news, and fan engagement content.

Product overview

Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband (DBV) operates the Deutsche Baseball Liga (DBL) as a unified platform combining live game streaming, real-time statistics via Easyscore, weekly fan-voting awards, and curated video content (Highlight Plays and The Walk-Up series). The ecosystem also includes cultural media extensions — the Innings Magazine for baseball journalism and the Walk-off Talk podcast — plus the PACE mental performance tool co-branded with dobetr. The DBL platform itself is the central product, delivering schedules, standings, news, statistics, and video across the April–September season for 12 teams in two divisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Walk-off Talk: Podcast series featuring insights into the DBL, released every two weeks
• The Walk-Up
• Innings Magazine
• Matze LIVE

Products and services

• Deutsche Baseball Liga (DBL) The official professional baseball league competition in Germany, featuring 12 teams in North and South divisions playing more than 150 games per season, with a digital platform offering live streaming, real-time statistics via Easyscore, schedules, standings, and news for fans and stakeholders.
• 2. Bundesliga Baseball Second-tier German baseball league competition consisting of 37 teams organized in 6 divisions, generating roughly 500 games per season and serving as the development and talent pipeline for the top-tier DBL.
• Softball Bundesliga Top-tier women's softball league in Germany comprising 13 teams across 2 divisions with 160+ games per season, providing organized professional competition for female softball athletes.
• German National Teams Program International competition program managing 10 national teams ranging from U12 youth categories through senior men's (Herren) and women's (Damen) squads, representing Germany in international competitions including the Baseball Champions League Europe and targeting Olympic qualification for Los Angeles 2028.
• Innings Magazine German-language baseball culture magazine and journalism publication covering player personalities, stories, and MLB content to grow baseball culture in Germany, presented as the first baseball culture magazine in the German-speaking world.
• Walk-off Talk Podcast Bi-weekly podcast delivering insights into the Deutsche Baseball Liga, hosted by Lukas and Hamed, providing behind-the-scenes perspectives on DBL players, teams, and league developments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 teams compete in over 150 games from April to September
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• C3 marketing agentur GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationC3 marketing agentur GmbH serves as the DBL's communication partner, responsible for the technical realization and development of the DBL website. They provide website development, integration services, and ongoing maintenance for baseball.de, enabling the league's digital platform and streaming capabilities.
• EasyscorecoreTechnology or IntegrationEasyscore is the official baseball games scoring system for the DBL, providing live boxscores, live streams, and comprehensive game/season statistics. Data from baseball match reports is transmitted online in real-time through their system.
• Serviceplan CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServiceplan Culture serves as the DBL's Cultural Engagement Partner, specializing in cultural marketing, brand experiences, and community activation. They work with a Cultural Council to develop strategies connecting brands with baseball's cultural lifestyle audience.
• PACE by dobetrminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPACE (Performance And Competition Evaluation) is the DBL's Performance Partner, offering a scientifically-based mental performance test measuring 13 key mental abilities in sports. In cooperation with DBL, players receive personal profiles while clubs and coaches gain insights to improve training and routines.
• Innings MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInnings is Germany's first baseball magazine covering baseball culture journalistically. The partnership promotes baseball lifestyle content including player stories, culture, and passion beyond game statistics. Presented through 'The Walk-Up' video series.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• British Baseball Federation: UK governing body for baseball running the British Baseball League. Comparable as a European national federation working to grow the sport in a market where baseball has limited mainstream presence.
• Österreichischer Baseball und Softball Verband (ABSV): Austrian Baseball and Softball Federation operating the Austrian Baseball Bundesliga. Comparable as a smaller German-speaking European national federation, geographically and culturally adjacent to DBV's market.

Broad incumbents

• Major League Baseball (MLB): The premier professional baseball league globally and the sport's dominant commercial entity. Comparable as the upstream league whose brand, content, and player development pathways frame every national league's growth strategy, including the DBL's Olympic and player development ambitions.
• Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB): Japan's top professional baseball league, one of the most established baseball leagues outside the US. Comparable as a higher-scale professional baseball league whose international content, broadcasting style, and cultural framing the DBL references in its positioning and content strategy.
• World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC): Global governing body for baseball and softball, of which DBV is a member federation. Comparable as the umbrella international body that sets competition rules, sanctions events, and drives Olympic participation pathways for national federations like DBV.

Direct peers

• Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS): Italian Baseball and Softball Federation operating the Serie A1, Italy's top professional baseball league. Directly comparable as another European national federation running a similar-tier top-league structure with international competition participation.
• Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond (KNBSB): Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation, the national governing body that operates the Honkbal Hoofdklasse, the top professional baseball league in the Netherlands. Directly comparable to DBV as a federation running a top-tier national baseball league in a non-baseball-dominant European market.
• Fédération Française de Baseball et Softball (FFBS): French Baseball and Softball Federation running the Division Élite, France's top baseball competition. Closely comparable to DBV in size, structure, and the challenge of building baseball in a non-traditional European market.
• Honkbal Hoofdklasse: Top-tier professional baseball league in the Netherlands, often cited as the strongest national league in Europe. Directly comparable to the DBL as a top-tier European baseball competition with international Champions League participation.
• Real Federación Española de Béisbol y Sófbol (RFEBS): Spanish Baseball and Softball Federation operating the División de Honor, Spain's top baseball league. Comparable as a European national federation with a similar multi-tier structure and Olympic-development mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtiktok.com/@dbl.baseball
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@dbl.baseball
• Facebookfacebook.com/dbl.baseball
• Instagraminstagram.com/dbl.baseball
• TikToktiktok.com/@dbl.baseball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutscher-baseball-u.-softball-verband-dbv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband