VfL Lübeck-Schwartau

What VfL Lübeck-Schwartau does

VfL Lübeck-Schwartau is the professional handball department of VfL Bad Schwartau von 1863 e. V., a registered German sports association founded in 1863. The club competes in the 2. Handball-Bundesliga (2. HBL), the second tier of German professional handball, and plays its home matches at the Hansehalle arena in Lübeck (~2,100 spectator capacity). The operating entity is HM Handball Marketing Spielbetriebs GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered at Brockesstraße 69, Lübeck, with roughly 8 administrative employees and a playing/coaching roster of approximately 30 athletes and support staff. The club finished 7th in the prior 2025/26 season but started the new season ranked 15th of 18 teams.

The business model is a typical regional professional sports club revenue stack: matchday ticket sales (individual and season tickets/Dauerkarten), sponsorship income from regional main sponsors (Sparkasse Lübeck, Sparkasse Holstein, Kaufhaus Stolz, LBC, Jacob Cement, Thomas Goerss, Unizell) plus equipment partner Hummel and exclusive beer partner Ratsherrn, merchandise sales through the VfL Store, and bundled fan experience packages (school/club/company of the game, tunnel walk, team run-on). Distribution is direct via online ticket shop, on-site box office, and the club's e-commerce store. Non-matchday revenue is augmented by the international Jacob Cement Cup pre-season tournament, the Hansehölle club magazine, and the Toby Tiger mascot program.

The technology stack is conventional web infrastructure: a content website with Google Analytics (IP anonymized), Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel, DoubleClick, YouTube, Spotify, Curator.io, FlipHTML5, and a rapidmail newsletter. There is no proprietary technology, app, or platform product; the team's only quasi-analytical staff role is a video analyst, reflecting standard sports-operations practice rather than any AI/ML capability.

Name

VfL Lübeck-Schwartau

Legal name

HM Handball Marketing Spielbetriebs GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://vfl-luebeck-schwartau.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1863

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VfL Lübeck-Schwartau is a German professional handball club competing in the 2. Handball-Bundesliga, playing home games at Hansehalle in Lübeck. It generates revenue from ticket sales, regional sponsorships, merchandise, and fan experience packages for handball fans and local groups in Schleswig-Holstein.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (7112), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Handball Leagues (MPAKAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Team Sports Matches (Club & National) (MPAGAMAB), Professional Live Sports Leagues & Tours (MPAGAMAA)

Keywords

• Professional handball league
• Live sports entertainment
• Season ticket sales
• Sports merchandise
• Fan experience packages

Headquarters

HQ city

Lübeck

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual match tickets and season tickets (Dauerkarten) sold online and at the Hansehalle venue for 2. HBL league matches and DHB-Pokal cup games.
2. Sponsorship: Revenue from main sponsors (Sparkasse Lübeck, Sparkasse Holstein, Kaufhaus Stolz, LBC, Jacob Cement, Thomas Goerss, Unizell) and exclusive beer partner Ratsherrn. Equipment sponsor Hummel provides apparel.
3. Merchandise and Fan Products: Revenue from fan shop sales including the VfL Store, merchandise, and fan experiences such as Spalierteam, Einlaufmannschaft, Schule/Verein/Unternehmen des Spieltages packages.
4. Event Experiences: Revenue from fan experience packages sold to schools, clubs, and companies including tunnel walks, player escorts, and branded game-day sponsorship packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

VfL Lübeck-Schwartau operates a professional handball team competing in the 2. HBL (2nd German Handball Bundesliga), delivering live match-day entertainment at the Hansehalle arena in Lübeck. The club sells individual match tickets, season tickets (Dauerkarten), premium fan experience packages, and club merchandise through the VfL Store, and secures additional revenue through regional and national sponsorship partnerships.

Product overview

VfL Lübeck-Schwartau is a German professional handball club competing in the 2. HBL (2nd Bundesliga). The organization operates a multi-layered offering centered on its handball team, with ticketed game day experiences at Hansehalle as the core product, supplemented by premium fan experiences (tunnel walks, team run-ons, 'X of the game day' designations), season ticket packages, and merchandise sales through the Fanshop. Additional offerings include the international Jacob Cement Cup preseason tournament, the Hansehölle club magazine, and the Toby Tiger mascot program with children's birthday party packages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful season finale with nearly 2100 spectators

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RatsherrncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 July 2026Ratsherrn became the new exclusive beer partner of VfL Lübeck-Schwartau. The partnership provides exclusive beer offerings at matches and events at the Hansehalle.
• HummelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026Long-term equipment sponsor providing team apparel and sports gear. Partnership recently extended for multiple years.
• PaktumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026VfL Lübeck-Schwartau and Paktum entered a long-term partnership. Paktum appears to be a strategic operational or technology partner.
• Sparkasse LübeckcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor and exclusive banking partner. Major financial supporter of the club's professional operations.
• Sparkasse HolsteincoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor providing financial support for club operations.
• Jacob CementcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor and naming partner of the annual Jacob Cement Cup pre-season tournament featuring international top teams.
• Kaufhaus StolzcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor - regional department store chain based in Lübeck.
• LBC (Lübecker Bausparkasse)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor - Lübeck building society providing financial support.
• Thomas GoerssminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor - local real estate company TG Immobilien Lübeck.
• UnizellminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor - healthcare/medical supplies company.
• AutodocminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAuto parts online retailer advertising on the VfL website.
• pkwteile.deminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAuto parts online partner advertising on the VfL website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• SG Flensburg-Handewitt: Top-tier HBL club in northern Germany. Geographically the closest 1st-division incumbent, useful for benchmarking the gap VfL would need to close to compete in sponsorship categories across the region.
• THW Kiel: Top-tier Handball Bundesliga (HBL) powerhouse and Germany's flagship handball club. Relevant broad incumbent for understanding the upper bound of sponsorship, broadcast, and brand value that 2. HBL clubs target.

Direct peers

• Eulen Ludwigshafen: 2. HBL side with parallel commercial structure — sponsorship-led revenue, modest arena capacity, and family/community fan experience products. Comparable as a like-for-like second-tier benchmark.
• TV Emsdetten: 2. HBL club in the same league tier and similar demographic/market profile. Closely comparable as a direct peer for both sporting and commercial performance benchmarking.
• GWD Minden: Long-established 2. HBL club and table leader at season start. Directly comparable in league, broadcast tier, and traditional German regional handball club profile with similar revenue mix.
• HSC 2000 Coburg: 2. HBL club of similar size and regional orientation. Comparable in arena scale, sponsorship composition (regional Mittelstand), and recurring matchday/community revenue mix.
• TuS N-Lübbecke: Direct 2. HBL competitor and VfL's season-opening opponent. Comparable as a fellow second-tier German professional handball club with similar venue scale and northern German regional sponsorship base.
• SC DHfK Leipzig: Top-of-table 2. HBL club with comparable professional operations, ticket/sponsorship model, and fan-experience product set. Useful peer for benchmarking venue economics and sponsorship pricing.
• ASV Hamm-Westfalen: Mid-tier 2. HBL club with comparable arena economics and regional sponsorship dependency. Closely matches VfL in current league standing range.
• TuSEM Essen: Traditional 2. HBL club with a comparable historical lineage and professional operating model. Useful direct peer for sponsorship yield and fan engagement comparisons.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vfl_luebeck
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmrA4thoBRibnFfX1oVWGCA?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/VfLBadSchwartau
• Instagraminstagram.com/vflluebeckschwartau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vfl-luebeck-schwartau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 VfL Lübeck-Schwartau