Joining a sports team in Düsseldorf has been one of the hardest leaps to make as an English speaker in the city. Despite the fact that sports don’t always require much talking, I always felt like I’d be a burden to the team when I couldn’t yell “PASS THE BALL” in German. So… I’ve been stuck watching sports on DAZN (my husbands favourite place to find American sports games) in my pyjamas.
Let this post serve as a motivator to get you up exploring the city while meeting new faces, learning a little more German, and getting active.
TIP: If you’re looking for sports equipment or athletic clothing at an affordable price, our favorite without a doubt is Decathlon!
If you’re also keen on joining a gym in Düsseldorf, we put together an entire guide so that you can compare prices and pick the best gym for your needs.
Here’s is a guide to sports teams in Düsseldorf
Football
We certainly don’t have a lack of Americans amidst the city, which means I don’t doubt that our city is crawling with football skills. If you’ve played competitive football before why not take your chances playing in the GFL (German Football League) with the Düsseldorf Panthers.
If you’re a football fan, try your skills out in cheerleading. The Panthers have a great cheer team as well!
If you’re looking for something a little more local, try out for the AFC Dusseldorf Bulldozer’s team, they have a men’s team, boys’ team, and a flag football team. Actually, the Bulldozer boys team is modeled after American high school football, so if you miss American structures and the high school mentality, give the Bulldozer U16 a try!
Fußball/Soccer
There’s the Fortuna Duesseldorf team, but if you haven’t figured it out by now, there is healthy competition in Germany when it comes to fußball. If you think you have what it takes, go for it!
If you’d like to try your luck in the lower leagues first, take a look at some of these teams:
- TuRU 1880
- DJK-SV Sparta Bilk 1978
- SC Düsseldorf-West 19/50
- selten TSV Eller 04
- Düsseldorfer SC 99
Trust me the list doesn’t end there, so head on over to the Europlan website for a complete listing.
Looking for a ladies’ team? Here are a few you can check out as well:
- SC Schwarz-Weiss 06 e.V.
- DJK TuSA 06 Duesseldorf e.V.
- FFC Duesseldorf 03 e.V.
- DJK Sportfreunde Gerresheim 1923 e.V.
- SG Duesseldorf-Unterrath 1912/24 e.V.
Spend a little time on Google and Facebook to find the right team for you. There are tons of fußball teams in the area.
Rugby
There’s no reason to fear the German language here as many of the guys are native English speakers at the Dusseldorf Dragons Rugby Club. They’re a large bunch and always recruiting new members to the team. You’ll also find them over on Facebook.
Ladies, they also have a Dragonettes women’s rugby team open for beginners and intermediates, check them out on Facebook.
Baseball
The Dusseldorf Senators play across North Rhine Westphalia and have both softball and baseball teams. Leagues are open for men, women, and children.
The Düsseldorf Bandits offer mixed softball teams and various baseball teams. While their website isn’t very up-to-date, it’s worth giving them a call!
Curling
There is a curling team in Dusseldorf called the Curling-Club Dusseldorf, go figure. They offer various different levels of play for all ages and offer a few courses as well. They also have some photos on their website where you can check out their Duesselcup!
Handball
While I’ve never really played European handball outside of gym class, there are certainly a few opportunities in Duesseldorf to take your play to the pitch.
My knowledge and skills in handball are lacking, so please feel free to add to this list!
Basketball
We discuss all the basketball teams in detail on our blog post “A Guide to Basketball Teams in Düsseldorf” which I definitely suggest giving a read! The post is written by local Düsseldorf basketball player Robert Weniger who certainly knows a thing or two about the basketball connections in the city.
Badminton
There are plenty of gyms around the area to play Badminton. If you’re interested in joining a club, you can head on over to the Badminton Club Dusseldorf to join a team.
Rowing
The Düsseldorfer Ruderclub is the local rowing club in the city. There are plenty of teams and various courses you can be a part of including a weekend course for those of you busy on weekdays.
If you’re an avid rower then you’re in the right place. The Dusseldorfer Ruderclub is one of the top-performing clubs in Germany with more than 450 members.
Ice Hockey
You may have already heard the name DEG before, DEG Eishockey e.V. is our local Düsseldorf ice hockey team which plays in the Deutschen Eishockey Liga (German Ice Hockey League). There has also been some talk about the EHC und Förderverein die Eidheiligen 93 e.V. in Benrath and the female Düsseldorf Devils, but sadly both leagues seem to not be currently active.
DEG offers U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, U17, and U20 hockey teams (located in Düsseltal) as well as a female league and a para ice hockey league. EHC offers hockey teams for people between the ages of 19-59.
Looking for something a little more relaxed? There are tons of groups online looking to bring together recreational players for a little practice and competition. Here’s a few of them to get you inspired:
- Soccer in Dusseldorf for English Speakers
- Tennis Dusseldorf Meetup (click here for a full list of tennis courts in Düsseldorf)
- Dusseldorf Play Coed Pickup Soccer
- Cart-Wheelers Dusseldorf Square Dance Club
- NEW: PLAYSPORTS App: this app has tons of local sports offers that can be booked without having to sign up for a subscription or membership. You can also use the app to meet each other at public sports venues in the city and create digital events
NOTE: We would love to expand this list to offer as much opportunity as possible for English speakers to get involved in the community. If there’s a club or team missing, please comment below with a link and a little bit of background information. If you don’t mind searching in German, you can also use the cities online directory to search for more sports opportunities.
