TV Huttenberg

TV Hüttenberg reached the DHB-Pokal final twice in a row, in 1977 and 1978, and lost both, to VfL Gummersbach, 16:14 and then 14:11. The captain that ran through those campaigns was Horst Spengler, a World Champion with the national side, playing under coach Rudolf Spengler, and the two finals remain the high mark of the club.

Hüttenberg itself is the product of a 1969 merger, between TV Hochelheim, founded in 1905, and TV Hörnsheim, founded two years later. First promotion to the 1. Bundesliga followed in 1972, and the side held its place there until 1985. It has been back twice since, in 2011 and again in 2017, and both times came straight back down after a single season — a pattern of arriving in the top flight fast and leaving it just as fast.

In 2023 the club came closer to disappearing than to promotion: a liquidity shortfall of €476,000 threatened its existence, and it survived on a crowdfunding campaign and support from the municipality. It now plays in the 2. Bundesliga, at the Sporthalle Hüttenberg, which holds 1,450.

The fixture that matters locally is against HSG Wetzlar, a few miles down the road. They call it the Mittelhessen-Derby, and it is the one date in the calendar Hüttenberg supporters circle regardless of which division either side is in.