TSV Handschuhsheim is the rugby union department (Abteilung Rugby) of Turn- und Sportverein Handschuhsheim 1886 e. V., a multi-sport club in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It takes its name from the Heidelberg district of Handschuhsheim, and the rugby department calls itself "Die Löwen" (the Lions). Its men's first team played in the 1. Bundesliga in 2025/26, and the department also has a second men's team, women's, youth, veterans' and touch rugby sides.
History
The parent club traces its origins to a gymnastics club founded in 1886 in Handschuhsheim, then an independent municipality, and registered as Turnverein Handschuhsheim 1886. That club was dissolved in 1945 on the orders of the American military government and was later re-established as Turn- und Sportverein Handschuhsheim 1886 e. V. Besides rugby, the parent club has departments for football, handball, athletics, roundnet, tennis, gymnastics and volleyball, and a children's sports school.
The rugby department celebrated 75 years of existence at a jubilee ball in the Carl-Rottmann-Saal in the centre of Handschuhsheim on 12 October 2024. The side is also known as the "Hendsemer Löwen", and a 2019 fireside evening looked back at its early years.
Pro Rugby Hendesse e.V., a supporters' association, was founded in 1994 by friends and patrons of the rugby department. In February 2017, in cooperation with the university and its sports programme, the department started its own touch rugby section, which, by the club's count, made it the first club with its own touch rugby section.
The department calls its approach the "Hendsemer Weg" (the Handschuhsheim way): rather than relying on paid players from elsewhere, it concentrates on intensive youth work, aiming to bring as many players as possible through to its two men's teams.
The men's first team played in the 1. Bundesliga in 2025/26 and is listed for the 2026/27 season.
Honours
Men's honours by the club's count:
- German champions: 1957
- German championship runners-up: 1953, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1963, 1968, 1978, 2005, 2019
- German sevens champions: 2004
- German cup (DRV-Pokal) winners: 2005, 2008, 2013
- League cup (Ligapokal) winners: 2006, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2016
In August 2025 the women's team won the bronze medal in sevens at the Finals in Dresden, beating the favourites SC Neuenheim in the third-place match.
Ground
The department's rugby pitch is at Tiergartenstraße 126, 69120 Heidelberg, in the Sportzentrum Nord, and its clubhouse is at Tiergartenstraße 7a. The department also trains on its grass pitch next to the youth hostel by the Neckar. The home ground for league matches is known as the "Lionspark".
Teams and training
The first team plays in the 1. Bundesliga Süd/West and the second team in the Regionalliga Baden-Württemberg. The women play as the "Löwinnen" (Lionesses), the youth teams as the "Junglöwen" (young lions), and the veterans as the "Silberlöwen" (silver lions); the veterans' side is a member of the European Veteran Rugby Association (EVRA). The touch rugby section launched in 2017 is still part of the department.
As of August 2026, the training times are:
| Team | Training |
|---|---|
| Men (first and second teams) | Tuesday 19:00–21:00 at the TSV rugby pitch, Tiergartenstraße 7a; Friday 19:00–21:00 at the Sportzentrum Nord pitch, Tiergartenstraße 126 |
| Women | Monday 18:30 and Friday 19:00 on the TSV grass pitch by the youth hostel; Wednesday 19:00 on the artificial pitch at the Sportzentrum Nord |
| Veterans | Thursday 19:00–20:00 on the TSV rugby pitch |
Newcomers can take part in taster and trial sessions without obligation in every age group and section. To play for the Lions, players must join the club; in 2026 the adult fee was €16.65 a month for the parent club plus €15 a month for the rugby department.
Club life
The parent club's call for its rugby is "kämpfen, Löwen, kämpfen!" (fight, Lions, fight!). As of August 2026, the rugby department has more than 360 members, which by the club's count makes it one of the largest rugby organisations in Germany by membership. Information for visitors is available in English, French, Spanish and Italian.